
Getting help is important, but getting it at the right time from the right person or people, especially in matters of health emergencies, plays a significant role in whether the victim gets to live, suffers more, or dies. Such was the help Lucy, the German shepherd, needed, even though she didn’t realize she did, on a fateful rainy evening in New York City. She was at the railway station along with her four newly born puppies, who were fresh from the oven. Lucy had left home about two weeks into her pregnancy and had since wandered from one place to another without getting sheltered and definitely not well fed, but as an expectant mother, she pulled through and kept going on just to see her puppies faces when they were eventually born. And so that was her life, and on this fateful day, she had given birth by herself with no one to help but had done nesting by looking around and ended up in an abandoned railway station where she had found a carton and prepared to give birth there, all the while yelping and panting.
After she gave birth, she stayed with them in her carton, not even expecting anything, and definitely not from a human.
HER DARKEST MOMENTS.
Lucy had an amazing dog life during her stay with her former owner. She had been adopted off the adoption list from a shelter by her former owner, which had brought forth a new hope for her, or so it looked to her, until destiny decided to play tricks on both of them. When she was taken home, they had a normal human-dog relationship that consisted of cuddles, food hugs, playing fetch, and evening walks, and she was happy for a while until her owner developed cancer and had to stay in the hospital for longer for chemo. During that time, Lucy had to be taken care of by the neighbors because her owner had begged them to, as she was worried for Lucy’s health and welfare. Not long into the illness, the neighbors packed out, and there was no one to take care of her. One day, having starved for a while, she took the bold step of leaving home for the hospital but wasn’t allowed in and was chased away by the security. She wandered for food and eventually returned home every day, but to a lonely home, and sometimes wandered around the hospital. When Lucy’s owner was discharged from the hospital, it seemed like life was going to begin again, but life, as unpredictable as it can be, had the worst in store for the duo. She was in no way able to take care of herself and thus struggled to take care of Lucy. One evening, an ambulance siren woke Lucy up. She saw her being carried out in a body bag, and she cried-at least in a dog manner—following her for a while.One of her neighbors had called 911 when she noticed the light was on all day, since that was unusual of the woman. She was later found in bed, no longer breathing.The sympathizers were oblivious to her, and thus, when the new owner who bought the house moved in, she was deemed not fit to live in the house anymore as having a dog was out of their plan for a new home.Humans are bad to each other, and it would not come as a surprise if they were inhumane to cute and loyal animals as dogs, but it still came as a shock that they would turn out a pregnant dog. They neither gave her food nor took her out for walks, and they left the door open for her to leave to show their extent of discomfort of having her stay with them. Lucy had no better time to miss her late owner than that time of her life.
A HOPE FOR A BRIGHTER AND BETTER FUTURE.
Maddie was driving by the railway station after her gym session ended that evening. Her car broke down near the railway station, and since her house was nearby, she decided to walk the rest of the journey since it was now just drizzling, unlike the heavy downpour earlier that day. She went out the car with her umbrella at hand; she would later tell her husband the faulty car tales and how she came by a mother dog and her puppies.
As she got closer to where Lucy was, she heard very soft barks that could have gone undetected if one had not listened hard enough. She decided to investigate since she has an inquisitive mind and the eerie feeling she could not shake off her mind and thus her heart was set to find out the cause. At first, she did not see what the problem was or where the sound was coming from. She almost gave up her search when she saw something rustling in the carton she had earlier passed. Lo and behold, she met Lucy nestled with her newborns and the placenta somewhere around them; they were all dripping wet and shaking, There and then, she decided she had to help them no matter what it took or how much it cost. She called her husband to meet her at the railway station, and they both drove them to the vet, who later told them that Lucy still had yellowish discharge out of her vagina, which indicated she just gave birth not long ago after 1-2 hours of contracting and straining to bring forth the puppies, and that when they were brought in, their breathing was abnormal. After examination, it was discovered that they had a cold from being in the rain for too long. The couple were assured that they were in safe hands. The vet also told them the process Lucy had to go through by herself with no help. “She would have been restless for about 24 to 36 hours before birth, not hungry, and would have definitely had a lower body temperature, “,the vet had told them. This brought tears to Maddie’s eyes because, thinking about the dog, all she could think of was what if it was a human or what if it was her instead of a dog, and she couldn’t even imagine going through the process of birthing by herself without any help from anyone. She thought that must have been hell for the poor dog and she was right. Her husband, being the supportive one, patted her back and hugged her as she was sobbing.
After the checkup, cleaning, medical bath, and medication administration, Maddie and her husband brought the mother and her puppies into their home, even after the vet had insisted they leave behind at least the puppies or the mother since they have never been dog parents and wouldn’t know how to take care of five at once. Maddie believed destiny had brought her to them to be their helper, and she would continue doing that. Taking them in was a first step to a better life for the dogs. Maddie and her husband were given the medication and explained how it was to be administered.
THE HAPPY LIFESTYLE.
On getting home, Maddie and her husband thought of names for Lucy but did not even have to think far since she had a bone tag that spelled her name. They decided to keep her name, and they named the puppies one after the other. They made them more comfortable and warm them up in a blanket so they felt safer and cooler. They all began warming up to one another, even though it took time for Lucy to warm up to the idea of a new home, Color began to return to Lucy’s face as she saw her puppies being taken care of, and she slowly became the happy German shepherd she was before life happened to her. She began to look more robust, unlike the near skeleton she was found as. They went for regular checkups. At the first checkup after the fortunate encounter, even the veterinary doctor was surprised of how much change they’ve gotten just for two weeks and was happy the couple took the decision to take them instead of taking them to a shelter. The vet acknowledged them and thought of how much change a dog could could attain if he/she had the right owner. The puppies were fairing well and growing just like any other healthy dog. They cuddled up their owners, played fetch and took evening walks as well. And sometimes, during weekends, they hangout with Maddie and her husband in picnics or go camping and sometimes they get to the beach Life has begun to make more sense to Lucy and she has become more carefree.Maddie and her husband continued to learn more about their new relationships and how to be better for Lucy, Rocky, Jack,Coco and Lala.
And hopefully, an even brighter and healthier future awaits the happy family.