12-Hour Drive Saves a Pregnant Dog’s Life

When Nickelback released the song “If today was your last day” over a decade ago, they must have been thought hard about dying and what kind of a legacy they would leave behind. Most of us do not want to think of that fateful day, which unfortunately is not a matter of if, but when. If we had to choose, we would probably want to live forever and be with our loved ones, but that is a decision we have to live to the one who gave us life.

However, some human beings have decided to play God and decide who gets to live and who gets to die. Murder has always been treated with so much contempt, but people have tried to make it seem more acceptable by calling it “mercy killing.” Whether a person is in pain or not, why not wait until the one who gave them the breath of life takes it away too? The case is even worse in animal shelters where it is not about easing the pain of the animals but their need to create space for more.

It is sad to learn that such incidences happen in this day and age when we boast of revolutionary thinking. Luckily, if it is not your time to leave this world, nothing and no one can get in the way of your existence. One such case happened to a dog called Hazel and here is her fantastic story as reported by The Happy Pets, about how a 12-hour drive saves a dog’s life.

Hazel ends up in an animal shelter

Just like children who wind up in the foster care system, most animals that end up in the animal shelter have owners who take care of them until they view them as a burden. Usually, it is hard to believe that parents can give up on their children and allow them to be looked after by someone else. It is similarly mind-boggling as to why someone would want an animal and then abandon it when it needs you the most.

Well, Hazel was one unlucky dog at first. There she was heavily pregnant and hoping that her owners will be there for her and her babies. Unfortunately for Hazel, her owners did not want to be bothered by so many dogs. Therefore, they did what they thought was best for Hazel; they left her at Porterville Animal Shelter in California. Hazel’s owners must have done their research because the animal shelter is open-admission meaning that they cannot turn animals away.

Hazel’s luck runs out

While Hazel was lucky enough to have found a new home, it was but false hope because soon she would be dead. Porterville Animal Shelter being open-admission also translated to high numbers of animals. As a result, when they deem the space inadequate, they have to euthanize some animals to create room for more. The fact that Hazel was pregnant meant that she would be among the first to be euthanized; the reasoning being why kill one when you can eliminate a handful at a go. Her case was hopeless because she was about to become a mother and chances of getting adopted while at this particular animal shelter were slim to impossible.

Mercy comes running

You can never mess with what destiny has in store for you and Hazel was not meant to die in that animal shelter. START (Shelter Transport Animal Rescue Team) was Hazel’s savior because before she could be put down, they transported her to Oregon and placed her in her new home, Newberg Animal Shelter. START was founded with the sole mission of addressing the challenge of overpopulation in animal shelters. It does so by transporting animals from high-kill shelters to rescue organizations in the Pacific Northwest. The team also saves the animals by funding veterinary clinics to facilitate low cost or no cost at all for neuter/spay services, as explained on the START Rescue website.

The journey is not over

As it turns out, Hazel’s new home was the ideal place where fate had brought her to ensure she got to meet her new owner. Newberg Animal Shelter is always streaming with people who are eager to adopt a dog. Barely had Hazel settled at the animal shelter than someone fell in love with her and took her home. Hazel is now loving her new home and has transformed from one timid dog scared for her life to a playful dog determined to live her life to the fullest. With the excitement that her adoptive mother seems to have, it is clear that Hazel could not have found a better place in which to raise her puppies.

Is this an isolated case?

Thre is still humanity left in some of us, and such a story with a happy ending is not an isolated case. Many dogs have been fortunate to have someone willing to rescue them from their imminent death. Inspire Story reported a similar incident in December 2018. Ashlee Holland visited an animal shelter and saw that Ava, a mixed breed of golden retriever and chow was about to be euthanized. Immediately, her motherly instinct to save the dig overwhelmed her. The fact that Ava was pregnant made Ashlee feel like she had been sent to the animal shelter to save Ava and her puppies. Ashlee took Ava home, and after a couple of weeks, she added 18 more dogs to her house when Ava gave birth. Although the high number surprised Ashlee, she could not be happier.

In another case recounted by Reshareworthy, Chris and Mariesa could not leave a pregnant dog to have her puppies at an animal shelter. Despite the couple already having eight dogs in their home, they still adopted Storie all in the efforts of ensuring that she did not raise her puppies in the stressful environment of an animal shelter. Storie gave birth to a dozen puppies within 18 hours of arriving at Chris’ home, but since they already had eight dogs, they had to find homes for the 13. Consequently, all Storie’s puppies found loving owners while Storie also ended up with a friend of Chris.