Once in a while, a heart lifting story

[Gary7]

In this era of extra gloom/doom, so many news items about things going wrong, rampant corruption, etc., it's a relief to come across a story that is uplifting.

Talk about coming back from the brink of death. Harper was a dog destined to die. He was born with what appeared to be a severe muscular deformity. Probably tucked into a large litter of dogs that were being sold, the seller discovered the ill puppy and decided to euthanize him by garbage bag asphyxiation. Thankfully, a woman nearby interceded and prevented the puppy's horrific death. She decided it should be put to sleep painlessly, and took possession of it. However... after this, the story took an unexpected turn.

Deformed Puppy Rescue

One of the better pet rescue stories I've ever read.

 

[Mary Ann]

This made my day.

 

[Miss Chicken]

This story warmed my heart - even though I am not a dog person.

I was shocked by the amount of people who told me, when she was a newborn, that is was cruel to allow my Miss Chicken to live and that I should have he put down before I grew fond of her. Some people even suggested that I should knock her over the head, or drown her.

I said I would give her a few weeks and see how she went. I coild see no reason why she shouldn't be able to walk eventually.

At four to five weeks her brother and sister were running around and yet Chicken still couldn't even stand up. Her siblings bullied her terribly so I separated them from her and kept her in my bedroom Her cat mother was very protective of her and spent far more time with her than with the other kittens.

At six weeks Chicken started to stand by herself. Once we found homes for her siblings Chicken gained confidence and learnt to walk, run and climb. She is now almost 13 years old and has bought more joy to me than any other pet I have ever owned.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

The thing that strikes me about your story is how protective Chicken's mother was. That cat sounds a lot more humane than the people who were telling you to do horrible, inhumane things to Chicken.

 

[Miss Chicken]

Her mothwr didn't wean Chicken until she was 15 weeks old, though her siblings were weaned by 6 weeks. It is possible that her mother considered her to be younger than she was because of Chicken's lack of mobility but that doesn't fully explain why feed Chicken until 15 weeks.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ She had a strong nurturing instinct, like many people and animals do. Unfortunately, some have the opposite instinct. My grandmother once had a cat who killed her kittens rather than take care of them.

This woman in the article would have been heroic just for giving this puppy one happy and comforting day before putting it to sleep. The fact that her care was therapeutic enough to help the puppy progress to something resembling a normal puppy life is just amazing and should be communicated to professionals via the medical journals and so forth. No animal should be killed just because it's weak or crippled.

 

[Amaris]

Well, right here is where I completely lost the ability to hold in tears:

That’s when Daniel, a regular at the local animal shelter, stepped in. She decided to take the puppy home for one full and final day of unabashed affection. “I had to show her what it was like to be loved,” Daniel said.

 

[JiNX-01]

This made my day.

Mine, too.

 

[Avalon]

Well, right here is where I completely lost the ability to hold in tears:

That’s when Daniel, a regular at the local animal shelter, stepped in. She decided to take the puppy home for one full and final day of unabashed affection. “I had to show her what it was like to be loved,” Daniel said.

That's exactly the spot where I burst into tears, too.

 

[TheSeeker]

What a great story. Totally makes Monday morning better.

 

[Gary7]

Thanks for retelling your story of your cat, Miss Chicken. Such a great thing to hear.

In the raw natural world, animals can be quite unsympathetic to each other, purely for the purpose of survival. Some parents will eat the weaker offspring, to be able to give more to the healthier ones. But with domesticated animals, something magical happens... there's so many stories of mother animals adopting babies from a different type of animal, nurturing them as if they were their own. I guess with the gnawing urgency of survival removed from the equation (being fed on a regular basis), they are able to give more of themselves.

 

[Kirby]

I love the story, thanks!

 

[Kirby]

I love the story, thanks!