When you go in the woods, you never know what kind of animals you might see.
Sometimes, it’s squirrels and rabbits; sometimes, it’s puppies. That’s right, puppies! Two runners recently found some abandoned puppies near a hiking trail. Although their story started off sad, it has a happy ending.
Ashley Blake and her trainer, Scott, were doing some cross country running on a wooded trail in Tennessee.
They had planned to run 14 miles of the Frozen Head Trail. However, a little less than halfway through their run, they noticed something rustling in the brush next to the trail. They stopped to investigate.
Blake explained:
“It was just a little rustling that caught us. It’s usual to hear forest critters, and that’s what we expected. We turned and saw this black pile.”
They could see a black animal in the leaves, and they were concerned it might be a bear or another large predator.
They slowly approached the creature and then realized it wasn’t one big animal; it was five little ones. The puppies were huddled up next to each other trying to keep warm in the brush.
Blake said:
“It was five puppies huddled together. It was close to freezing temperatures and they were trying to stay warm. As trail runners, you see a lot of wildlife, but never puppies.”
The runners knew they couldn’t leave the pups there to freeze.
They called for park officials to help them, and they tried to keep the puppies calm and warm until help arrived. Finally, a ranger showed up and offered them some help.
Blake continued:
“They were terrified and crying. They settled down once they realized we weren’t going to harm them and we were warm.”
The ranger and runners soon realized that the puppies hadn’t just wandered off on their own.
Someone had dropped them there. They had no food, water, or anything keep them warm. They were basically left for dead. There is a secluded road that runs near the trail, and the ranger explained that many people dump their pets from it.
Blake added:
“They were dumped without food, water, blanket, or mother. The park ranger said this isn’t the first time pups have been dumped at this spot.”
Scott and Blake helped the ranger carry the pups back to his car, and the ranger kept the puppies at his home that night, so they could stay warm and have some food.
The next day, he took them to a local shelter, but not before Blake and Scott stopped by the check on them. Scott decided that he would take one of the puppies himself.
He named the pup Barkley, and they two are now best friends. The other pups went up for adoption at the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter in Tennessee. They are adorable and needed loving homes just like Barkley.
The shelter staff and everyone who has come to know these puppies hoped that they would be adopted to loving homes soon.
Until then, the shelter would keep them safe, giving them the food, water, shelter, and care they need, as well as medical attention and even training. The pups have since been adopted and are living happy lives in their forever homes.
Had the runners not stopped, these puppies would have probably frozen to death. Thanks to them, the help of the rangers, and the animal rescue, these puppies get a chance at a normal life. Scott and Blake just happened to be in the right place at the right time. As a result, they saved five little lives.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
