This past week, heavy storms swept through San Antonio, Texas, and brought extreme flooding with them. During the deluge, many lost and stray dogs found themselves stuck in dangerous situations.
San Antonio Animal Care Services (San Antonio ACS) got a call
about one such pup last week. A large, senior mastiff had somehow gotten himself stuck in a stormwater canal that was rapidly filling with water.
When the team from San Antonio ACS arrived at the scene, they quickly got to work trying to hoist the huge mastiff out of the water. The sides of the ditch were steep, and the dog was stuck completely at the bottom.
“That’s 60 pounds of a big dog that we have to figure out how to get out of the ditch,” Lisa Norwood, public relations manager for San Antonio ACS, told The Dodo.
Throughout the whole rescue process, the rescuers were amazed that the dog, named Monty, seemed incredibly calm. Based on his peaceful demeanor, the rescuers deemed him a gentle giant.
“I don’t know that Monty was even aware that he was walking through flood waters,” Norwood said. “He was just living his life.”
The rescuers transported Monty back to their facility, where the senior pup got to rest and recover from his ordeal. He’s now patiently waiting for an adopter, foster or rescue to take an interest in him and take him home.
That very same week, San Antonio ACS got another call about a dog stuck in a flooded stormwater canal. This time, the call was for a tiny puppy rather than a large senior dog, which posed its own set of challenges.
“[They’re] different in regards to age as well as size, but same situation,” Captain Bethany Snowden, field leader with San Antonio ACS, told The Dodo.
Because the puppy, named River, was so young, he was incredibly nervous. He kept barking and trying to run away from the rescuers, but eventually they were able to hoist him out of the canal.
Shortly after the rescuers got the puppy back to their facility, a miracle happened. It turns out that River’s family had lost him, and just when they were starting to lose hope, they checked San Antonio ACS’ website, saw his little face and rushed to the shelter to pick him up.
“It’s always a rewarding situation to be able to reunite a pet pup back with its parent,” Snowden said.
Thanks to the dedicated San Antonio ACS staff, both dogs were saved from incredibly dangerous situations. River is safe and sound at home, and Monty is well on the way to finding his own forever family.
