Opie

Once in a blue moon I get a call about a dog living in a strange place, with Opie this was no exception. The place was a hunting ground and hunting season was to begin in a week so I made the 30 minute drive out to the middle of nowhere to see if there really was a dog living there. There was.

It was pouring rain, and in the distant I could make out the outline of a dog and so I set the trap baited with everything from hotdog's to cat food. I had a friend with me to help as we watched from my car and it looked like we may get this guy out of there that very day as we watched him scarf down the trail of food leading into the trap. It didn't happen; as the trap door closed he scurried out before it closed tight. Now I worried he was on to us.

Many days followed with the same routine. The rain kept a heavy pace of pelting us as we constantly set the trap up in different locals. The forest was vast and the mission seemed impossible!

I decided to try leaving the trap open all night long in a place that looked like Opie's nesting area for the night, a dug out area of a makeshift bed of dirt. With a volunteer in tow the trap was set again for the sixth time. This time we cleaned out our kitchens and baited it with steak, cheese and any other enticing morsel. We knew he would not fall for just hotdog's now.

Eureka! It worked - there he was in the trap by morning. What I saw made tears well up, it was a ghost of what use to be a dog. No hair, open sores and starvation. We loaded up our survivor and rushed him to Hillside Animal Hospital. The treatments to save him began. From heartworm to infections this young guy has had a life of hell. After a couple weeks at the hospital he is now at the shelter with a warm bed, volunteers to love on him and food! He is gentle and still doesn't quite have that look I want to see - the eyes tell so much and his in spite of everything, say, I might still give up. We won't let that happen.

Update: View photos of Opie's progress. Randy