This story is very heartwarming. We accidentally came across this story, which was written by an anonymous writer. The entire story comprises a series of events involving the rescue of a lost dog named Max, showing the kindness and collaboration of strangers.
A Woman’s act of kindness saves an epileptic dog
She was driving home from work that evening and caught in traffic on the town’s busiest road. She saw a dog hopping down the center of the opposite lane. It was cold, with the darkening sky. Being a devoted dog owner, observing such a scene tugged at her heart. Without hesitation, she activated her hazard lights, shifted to park, left, and tried to stop the dog.
She guessed the dog was a chocolate lab and poodle mix. With no intention of stopping, it galloped toward her. She whistled, called out, made kissy noises, clapped, and yelled every variation of the word ‘treat’ to capture its attention, but nothing happened. The dog veered around her in the road and continued, but she noticed a harness on the dog. Fortunately, the traffic around there had patiently stopped for them. She returned to the car to grab a spare leash and then returned to the road after the dog.
Upon returning to her car and securing the leash, the dog had vanished from her sight. She took a U-turn and began searching. Turning onto the first side street, she spotted the dog about 100 yards ahead, still in a full gallop. Passing him, she leaped out with the leash to stop him, but he was too swift. Unluckily, she had left her sneakers in her office on this particular day.
She followed the dog slowly and drove just over the center line. She flashed high beams, signaling the need for caution. Thankfully, vehicles in the opposite lane responded by giving the dog a generous space. She determined to shield him from being hit by a car, so she contacted animal control.
Regrettably, animal control had concluded their day by 5:00 pm, leaving her in difficulty. Her call was redirected to a 911 dispatcher who did not seem pleased with her situation. However, she provided a detailed description of the dog and the directions. Meanwhile, she saw a white work van emerge from the lane behind her. She waved her arm, signaling the van to stop. The van remained beside her.
She checked for oncoming traffic as they got close to a Y intersection. Indeed, a car was coming. The speed limit there was 25 mph. She was driving while signaling to prevent the vehicle from proceeding, allowing the dog to pass through the intersection safely.
To block the intersection, she noticed the white work van passing her, and she panicked at the thought that he could possibly hit the dog.
Then, a fantastic thing happened. A man, she guessed a mail carrier, came to the rescue. He leaped out of the van and ran after the dog. She promptly drove through the intersection, took her spare leash, and joined the mail carrier. After three blocks, the mail carrier caught hold of a strap on the dog’s harness. They both came to a halt.
Courtesy of Unsplash.
The man held the dog on his shoulder, and she promptly secured her leash onto the harness. Assuming the owner of the dog was her, the man seemed relieved. Then she clarified the incident and told him she did not know who owned him. She called 911 again to transport the dog to the neighboring town with 24/7 animal control. However, the dog exhibited weird behavior, attempting to get up and run again, unaware of the people surrounding him.
In the meantime, a few residents from the nearby area emerged to inquire about the situation. Within moments, these compassionate strangers brought blankets, tissues, water, dog food, and sweets. Despite the dog’s peculiar behavior, he still eagerly consumed the food, allowing two outstanding individuals to capture pictures to post on their neighborhood Facebook groups to locate the dog’s owner. Once the photo session concluded, she wrapped one of the blankets around the dog and settled on the curb beside him, offering comfort as they awaited the arrival of the police. The mail carrier received her gratitude once again before departing.
After 15 minutes, a black SUV approached at an alarming speed, causing her to fear it might collide with them. Reacting swiftly, she seized the dog and rolled onto the lawn with him for safety. As it turned out, the occupants of the black SUV were the dog’s owner and her troubled children. They were in a state of panic, exclaiming, ‘We thought he was hit by a car!’
As they revealed, the children had been playing with the dog, Max, in their backyard. A wind blew open their gate, allowing Max to go out. It became evident that Max, being epileptic, faced difficulty stopping once he began running. The children tried to chase him, and they lost sight of Max, prompting them to rush home and inform their mom. Together, they embarked on a search for him. Max was precisely 4 miles away from his home.
She was grateful for the kind-hearted strangers who assisted her in capturing Max. She knew she could not manage it alone. Max safely returned to his family, thanks to their collective efforts. It brings tears of happiness to her eyes.
Finally, she said that she hoped that any of her dogs might be lost, but if they were, she expects someone would work as hard as she and the other person did that evening to keep them safe until they reunited.
If you ever encounter a lost dog, please do your best to help, but prioritise your safety. Not all dogs will be as friendly as Max, and not every traffic will be as patient as it was around her. Please avoid getting bitten or hit by a car while attempting to rescue a dog. Do what you can safely do. Sometimes, simply calling animal control or the police is more than enough.
