Dumped Senior Dog Clinging to Shopping Cart in Canal Finds Hope and a New Life
A senior dog with “little to no chance of survival” was rescued just in time after being found in a canal. Dorothea, a 10-year-old Chihuahua mix, was saved by the Phoenix Fire Department and Arizona Humane Society (AHS) after she was spotted clinging to a shopping cart in the water.
Arizona Humane Society
The poor dog was stranded in a deep canal, surrounded by water, with no safe way to reach shore. According to an AHS press release, Dorothea’s rescue is “an incredible story of resilience and survival.”
A Good Samaritan alerted AHS to Dorothea’s plight, and dispatchers quickly coordinated with the Phoenix Fire Department to send AHS Emergency Animal Medical Technician (EAMT) Hunter Stribling to the scene.
Arizona Humane Society
The rescuers used a ladder and a hook pole to carefully guide Dorothea to safety. “Using a ladder and various AHS rescue devices to get her up to safety, the sweet senior pup was all tail wags when she was finally ashore,” AHS shared. Scared but open to receiving help, Dorothea was given a quick medical assessment on AHS’s Pet Ambulance where she was “found to be dehydrated, hungry, covered in ticks, and a bit stinky from the canal water.”
Afterward, Dorothea was taken to AHS’s Lazin Animal Foundation Trauma Hospital for a thorough exam. Thankfully, her health was good overall. She had minor injuries and some broken teeth but quickly showed her rescuers that she was a “sweet, loving girl.”
Arizona Humane Society
Dorothea loves nothing more than getting “cuddles and attention from people.”
Arizona Humane Society
On October 28th, nearly five months after her rescue, AHS joyfully announced that she has been adopted and is now “living her best life with her forever family” in Youngtown, Arizona.
“Although it is unknown how long or why she was in the canal,” AHS noted, “Dorothea’s incredible story highlights the lifesaving work that the Arizona Humane Society is able to accomplish.”
Arizona Humane Society
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