All you have to do is mention that a dog is sad and lonely and our hearts tend to shudder in sympathy.
But the truth is that 9-year-old Bobi has a very sad story of roaming the streets after being rejected by his owner. And it’s important to know these stories because we all have a rescue or shelter nearby full of needy animals with similar stories. So, the good news is you could be the hero in one of these stories.
Rescuing Bobi
Bobi was found roaming the railroad tracks. It was clear that he was a sweet, old dog, but fearful of people.
As you can see, rescuing him from his precarious situation would have involved potentially putting human lives in danger, so rescuers could only stand by and hope that he would come closer to them without getting hit.
This isn’t the life he deserved after years of being someone’s loyal pet.
But rescuers are a special breed, so to speak, and they weren’t going to abandon him. Instead, they tried to get him to move along to an area with fewer tracks. But each time they got close, Bobi would run away.
Luckily, they brought treats.
And is there any better way to convince a dog that you might just be a good person?
Assessing the damage
No one was sure how long the senior dog had been out on the streets, so they needed to get him to a vet.
But they wanted to truly earn his trust first, so they gave him a minute to check them out. So Bobi got a good sniff so he could gather his own information first.
After years of being a pet, a dog knows how affection feels.
So Bobi did eventually come around and let his rescuers give him a little scratch behind the ears and some pets on the head.
Once he knew he was in good hands, he even let them put the leash on with no drama at all. He knew this routine. After all, it’s probably one that he went through with an owner for years.
One can only be hopeful that he was possibly just lost and that owner would be happy to see him again.
The vet scanned for a microchip and everyone was excited about giving the owner a call to tell them they found their sweet dog.
But there wouldn’t be a reunion. They told them the dog’s name was Bobi and that he had run away. In fact, he got pretty far – about 10 miles from his home.
Sadly, they didn’t want him back and asked the rescue to take him instead.
The real rescue
There’s no explanation as to why Bobi ran away nor why his owner rejected his return. But he weighed a healthy 39lbs, was friendly, fully vaccinated, microchipped, and neutered.
He had been cared for at some point because he was also very sweet and easily got over his initial distrust of humans.
But Bobi was also old and in declining health. He had no vision in his left eye, perhaps the result of an injury that ended up leaving a scar. His right eye was fine.
In their caption for Bobi’s video, the rescue described the dog as a great candidate for a low-key family:
“He’s very gentle, loving and obedient and he is still playful and curious. It’s like he’s living now the puppyhood he missed. Bobi is an old dog in his golden years and he needs a caring adoptive family to offer him a home, a FOREVER home this time, where he can spend his remaining years happy and loved.”
Going home
The Romanian rescue that found and cared for Bobi opened up his adoption internationally, hoping that some kind soul would see what he had become in his weeks with the shelter – a happy and playful dog.
His sweet photos charmed everyone who saw them.
Of course, an international dog adoption was still a tall order.
But he was a great dog.
Polite on a leash and loving toward people willing to give him some love.
He got the spring back in his step and loved playing with other animals and getting plenty of exercise.
Sure, these would be his golden years, but they wouldn’t be spent convalescing – and his damaged eyesight was clearly no problem.
Bobi’s video was posted in January of 2018. And by late February, Bobi was in his new home – in the United States!
He even had two siblings to play with in his new Deleware home, where he looks so happy.
His new owners even sent a video of him living it up the way he deserves.
You can view Bobi’s heartwrenching rescue video AND his happy times in his new home by scrolling down below.
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