Day 1 - The Rescue

Written by Mason

I was driving back to Athens after a long day of work in Hazlehurst. It was getting dark and as I approached McIntyre on 441 I realized what I initially thought was a piece of tire on the side of the road was actually a puppy.

I see strays as I drive all the time typically adults or in groups yet I was sure this was a puppy and not just a small dog I had just passed. I couldn't just drive by this time so I pulled onto the shoulder and started reversing down the highway to go check the dog out.

As I got close he retreated behind the guardrail so I stopped and walked the rest of the way to him. Even though it was getting dark I could tell this dog had disgusting skin issues nonetheless I scooped him up with one hand and carried him back to my truck.

This dog was so gross I didn't want to put him in the cab of my truck so I decided to put him in the bed of my truck. Since I had a cooler sliding around the back I thought it might be safer to put him inside the cooler rather than risk the cooler hurting him.

I got back into my truck and soaked my hands with hand sanitizer and got back to driving home. I called Erin to give her the heads up that I was bringing a guest.

I stopped for gas in Milledgeville and checked to see how he was doing and panicked when I didn't see him in the cooler. I guess he had decided to climb out and fortunately he had taken refuge underneath my truck toolbox. Feeling bad I put him in the cab on the rubber passenger floor mat and again sanitized my hands.

As I kept driving up, I tried to think of rescue names for the guy and wanted it to be applicable to him and how we met.  I ultimately chose to nickname him Cooper, as in the tire company, since I had originally mistook him for a piece of tire. The whole drive up Cooper didn't move or make a sound.

When I got home I got some work gloves to hold him with this time. Erin and I took him out to the back deck and we fed him crushed dog food with water. He gobbled it right up and in the dark we could see evidence of ticks, strange protrusions on his body, bloated belly, and others abnormalities but in the dark it wasn't easy to tell what all might be wrong with him. He had been through a terrifying journey so we decided to put him to bed for the night and take him to the vet the next day.

first picture

We put him in the garage on a few blue towels in Atlas' large crate for the night. He curled up in the towel bed and didn't move at all throughout the night. He didn't go to the bathroom either.

sleeping his first night inside