Hunting saved a dog’s life; there’s just no other way to put it. A yellow Lab that had been lost in the woods for several days was found January 4 by a hunter near South Dakota’s Sand Lake Wildlife Refuge. It had been out in the elements without food, water, or shelter as temperatures dropped to as low as 32 below at night.
Then a hunter came through the area and changed everything. The Watertown Public Opinion reports that the unnamed sportsman was pheasant hunting when he dropped a bird. The yellow Lab seemingly appeared out of nowhere, carrying with it the pheasant. Even after its frigid ordeal, the dog still had its hunting instinct intact.
The hunter contacted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which then transported the dog to the Aberdeen Area Humane Society. Staffers there took to calling the Lab “River” in lieu of its real name, treating it for wounds on its feet and joints, as well as its excessive thinness.
The dog was estimated to be 8 to 10 years old and has no identification of any kind. She has been spayed and trained, and she can obviously hunt. No reports of lost dogs have been filed with the shelter, and with it at its carrying capacity, River is now up for adoption. If you’re in search of a good dog that still has some hunt left in it, you may want to consider this lovable retriever.
Photo: hoozone/iStock
