The polar vortex has made it a tough week for people and pets all over the country, but it also brought forth some amazing animal rescue stories. Here are our favorites:
Thankfully, this Sheltie mix named Peanut is going to be OK. Deputies found Peanut and another dog frozen to the ground in the back of a home in Jasper, Ind. (Via WEHT)
WFIE reports: "The dog, its stomach and feet and tail had frozen to feces that was in the pen. They took warm water and poured it over the dog to free it from the floor."
The dogs were taken to the local humane society, whose Facebook page said Peanut was half the weight he should have been when he came in, but he's doing much better now, and the shelter has been overwhelmed with people interested in adopting him. (Via Facebook / Dubois County Humane Society)
Peanut's owners, by the way, have been charged with animal neglect, which is a Class A misdemeanor in the county. (Via WTHR)
Travis Wright drove by a frozen pond in Letcher County, Ky., and saw a pitbull stuck in the freezing waters and fighting for his life. Wright decided to risk his own life to save the dog. (Via WTVF)
"He would go down under the water. He went down three times before I got him. And every time he'd go down, he would coming up spitting water out of his nose. As I was busting the ice up, I kept saying: 'Hold on buddy, I'm coming. Hold on, I'm coming.'" (Via WYMT)
Wright said the dog, named Lucky, was shaking and foaming at the mouth after Wright got him out of the water. (Via WKYT)
Fortunately, Lucky survived the ordeal, and Wright decided to keep him. (Via WRGB)
Now, this last one doesn't necessarily have to do with the icy weather around the country, but it was such a great story, it had to make the list.
Early Thursday morning, fishermen in Tampa Bay, Fla., saw a little dog treading for dear life in 68-degree water a couple miles away from the St. Petersburg shoreline.
"We tried to get him out from under, and he was having a hard time getting him out, he was really scared. … But you made it. You're a tough little lady, treading water for who knows how long." (Via Tampa Bay Times)
The dog's name appeared to be Baby, and she'd been microchipped. A nearby pet hospital discovered she was reported missing two years ago, but the phone number associated with the chip was no longer in service. (Via WTVT)
Bay News 9 has the latest on her story:
"It turns out that her owner passed away last year, and she ran away from her newest human companion in December. The pup was plucked from the water and was recently adopted by a new owner, who gave her a new name, Gracie."
And that wraps our three most amazing animal rescue stories of the week. Thanks for watching.
