There are too many stories of people abandoning their pets; the ones that hit the hardest are those incidents where animals are not only dumped but left unable to fend for themselves.
They are often tied to a tree or a fence with no food or water, or some are dumped in cages in the middle of nowhere; it can often feel like a very cruel world we live in.
In this case a dog was not only dumped in a cage but submerged into icy waters and left to die.
Thank goodness for animal hero and teacher Bryant Fritz who was getting ready for a day of fishing at a lake in Illinois when he spotted the trapped puppy.
Fearing that the dog didn’t have much time in the chilly waters Bryant knew he had to act fast and jumped into the frigid waters to rescue her.
Wrapped the dog in a blanket
“It was about 3 p.m. when I saw the dog in the lake,” Bryant told the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette. “Part of the crate was sticking out of the water. The puppy’s head was still above water, but the rest of her body was submerged.
“I thought about calling someone but I didn’t think she had an extra five or 10 minutes,” he told CNN. “I just didn’t know.”
After freeing her from the cage the dog, later called Dory, was wrapped in a blanket and taken to the nearest animal hospital.
The UI Veterinary Teaching Hospital said on its Facebook page that Dory was treated at the hospital for hypothermia and other injuries that “do not appear to be related to being in the lake.”
According to the doctor that treated Dory, her ordeal did nothing to break this dog’s spirit and happy nature.
No bad feelings
“Puppies are so resilient that she doesn’t know that people did this to her, and she just wants to be around people,” Dr. Meghan Fick told the News-Gazette.
“She wants to sit on your lap, lick your hands and take treats. She’s ready to move on and doesn’t harbor any bad feelings.”
Bryant, the middle school teacher who saved her life, decided he wanted to adopt the delightful Dory after losing his own dog shortly before he found the freezing pup.
“As I filled out the paperwork when I brought her to the hospital, I realized I wanted this dog to be a part of my life,” he told the newspaper.
What this puppy had to endure is horrific, I cannot imagine how scared and confused she must have been.
We are so grateful for animal heroes like Bryant and wish him and Dory a very happy future.
Please share to pay tribute to this heroic teacher who works so hard every day to help others – animals and humans!
