Life can be hard for stray animals. They’re fending for themselves on the street, having to survive on their own, but sometimes they get into tricky situations and need a little human help.
That was the case for one dog, who had a plastic container stuck on his head until a group of rescuers came to help — and the story got an even happier ending when one of those rescuers showed up to adopt him.
In March, residents in Radium Springs, Georgia spotted a stray dog running around with a plastic container on his head, the Las Cruces Sun News reported. People wanted to help him, but the stray was hard to track down. It took a days-long search effort by both Cherished K-9 All Breed Rescue was and Mesilla Valley Search and Rescue.
Finally, they were able to track the dog down, and got to work freeing him.
The rescue mission couldn’t have come at a better time.
“He only had a little opening in the top, so he really would have been in dire need,” Carla Baker, executive director of Cherished K-9, told the Sun News. “He was exhausted, dehydrated and very hungry.”
Thankfully, the mission was a success, and soon the dog was free. He was dubbed “Pretzel,” because the container on his head appeared to be a pretzel jar (it was actually a continuous flow dog feeder.)
Pretzel was then taken to the vet, where he received vaccinations and was microchipped. He is believed to be about a year-and-a-half old, although not much is known about his past.
He was put in the care of Cherished K-9 All Breed Rescue. They had previously rescued a female dog and her litter of puppies in the same area, and realized that Pretzel is likely the father.
Once he was all taken care of, Pretzel was finally put up for adoption. Given the virality of his story, the rescue thought he would receive lots of adoption requests… but surprisingly, that wasn’t the case.
“We were shocked,” Baker told Sun News. “Because everyone was saying, ‘oh yeah, we want to adopt.’”
But finally, they did get one adoption request — from one of the people who helped save Pretzel’s life.
Kirk Kirkpatrick, a longtime volunteer with Mesilla Valley Search and Rescue, had recently had to put down his own pet dog due to her health. While he didn’t initially plan on adopting again, he decided to take Pretzel in to see how he would do in his home.
Luckily, the dog got along great with his five other pets, and Kirkpatrick decided to make it official, giving this stray a loving forever home.
Everyone at the rescue was glad that Pretzel ended up in such a good, trusted home.
“He’s blessed to have the family he’s got,” Baker said. “Even though they’re the only applicants, I’ll tell you, he lucked out. It’s a good family.”
Pretzel has now been renamed “Rio,” after the place he was found. Kirk says he is “adjusting well” to his new surroundings.
It’s always great when a dog gets adopted by someone who actually helped save their life. It really feels like this was meant to be, bringing a very happy ending to the story.
We’re so glad Pretzel/Rio has a forever home! Share this great news!
