It’s not easy to hide when you’re a large black-and-white puppy, but 2-year-old Fergie felt as though she had no other choice. She’d been abandoned in the woods and was unsure of her surroundings, so she curled up underneath a mat of weeds and waited for someone to find her.
Luckily, a Good Samaritan passing through the wooded area spotted the pup just in time and called the staff at Stray Rescue of St. Louis (SRSL) for help.
“At first, I didn’t really see her anywhere,” Donna Lochmann, SRSL’s chief life saving officer, told The Dodo. “But I went back the next day and sure enough there she was, still in the weeds.”
Fergie wasn’t sure what to think of her rescuer during their first encounter. She’d been alone outside for a while, clearly in survival mode, and she didn’t know yet that she could trust Lochmann. So the scared pup stood up and started growling at Lochmann.
That’s when Lochmann noticed that something wasn’t right.
“I realized that she wasn’t using her front right leg,” Lochmann said. “She was clearly injured.”
On top of being hurt, Fergie was surrounded by a bunch of thick leaves and intertwined vines. Lochmann knew that trying to catch the pup by placing a slip lead around her neck wouldn’t be the best idea, so she tried something different.
“I thought it’d be easier to set a trap and see if she went in,” Lochmann said. “So I got a bunch of fresh fried chicken and put it in one of my traps.”
Although the pup was hungry, she was also wary of the trap. When Lochmann went back to check on her, she was surprised to find that the chicken — and the trap — were left untouched.
But Fergie wasn’t in the same spot under the weeds anymore. She’d made her way over to a nearby abandoned house and nestled herself along its foundation.
Determined to save the dog, Lochmann took a new approach. Instead of trying to catch Fergie when she least expected it, the experienced rescuer decided to earn her trust by using a gentle and encouraging voice.
“I got down on my knees where she could see me and just tried talking to her a bit,” Lochmann said. “She didn’t get up and try to run away from me this time.”
Lochmann slowly crept closer to Fergie while she spoke to her. When Lochmann was finally close enough to reach the pup, she gently tossed the end of a leash in Fergie’s direction and reassured her that everything was all right.
“I kind of did that a couple of times and said, ‘See, it’s a leash,’” Lochmann said.
Fergie didn’t react to the leash, so Lochmann decided to try putting it over her head. To her surprise, the leash went right into place and the scared dog hardly reacted.
“She pretty much just shut down,” Lochmann said. “She must’ve been so exhausted from being alone for so long.”
After finally getting Fergie safe in her care, Lochmann brought the pup straight to the vet. In addition to her shoulder injury, which will require amputation, Fergie tested positive for parvo.
According to Lochmann, the pup got really sick the same night she was rescued, but luckily she received treatment right away.
“She’s not completely out of the woods yet, but she did just start eating, so she seems to be on the mend,” Lochmann said.
Fergie’s got a long road ahead of her before she can find a forever home, but the lucky pup is right where she needs to be to get better. With an abundance of care and love from her caregivers at SRSL, Fergie is expected to make a full recovery.
And although staff members like Lochmann will be sad to say goodbye to Fergie, they’ll be happy to know that she finally has the life she deserves.
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