Plastic and other debris in nature isn’t just an eyesore; it can also cause tremendous suffering for innocent animals.
Stephanie, from the rescue organization Boonie Flight Project, recently witnessed this firsthand.
Not long ago, she encountered a emaciated and severely distressed dog wandering around with a jar stuck on its head on the island of Guam.
The dog was in desperate need of help – and Stephanie couldn’t look away.
Stephanie immediately called her friends, and soon a group of volunteers arrived to assist the poor pup.
“We didn’t know how long she had left,” Stephanie told The Dodo and added:
“She was rapidly deteriorating. I absolutely could not leave her.”
Equipped with the right tools, their priority was to capture the dog with a net and remove the plastic from its head. Thankfully, they managed to remove the jar that threatened the dog’s life.
“We had one volunteer holding the bucket, and we had another one holding her back,” Stephanie said. “Luckily, it popped off pretty fast.”
However, the pup remained terrified and distrusting of humans.
She hid in a corner of Stephanie’s garage, reluctant to let the veterinarian examine her. But given her extreme dehydration and malnutrition, a thorough examination was essential. Fortunately, apart from her physical state, the dog, named Winnie, was in fairly good health.
Efforts were then made to find Winnie a loving foster home while awaiting adoption. However, even after being placed in a foster home, Winnie still had a long way to go before she could trust humans again. Understandably so — she had evidently been abandoned before this ordeal, with humans responsible for the plastic endangering her life.
Initially, Winnie was hiding in the bathroom of her foster home and showed little interest in interacting with her foster family. But gradually, she began to realize that these people genuinely wanted to help her. Step by step, Winnie’s trust in those around her grew, and eventually, she realized that the dog bed was much comfier than sleeping on the toilet.
Fortunately, there were other dogs in the foster home, so Winnie eventually made new furry friends too.
“Being in a foster home with other animals, she was able to witness animals receiving love and attention from people,” Stephanie says. “The foster really worked with her to slowly get her out of her shell and have her come out and interact with people.”
After several months in foster care, it felt like Winnie was ready to find a forever family.
Luckily, a woman named Mary was eager to adopt this wonderful pup.
Mary recounted that upon retrieving Winnie from the airport, “she was absolutely terrified,” and Mary understood that she had a considerable journey ahead to gain Winnie’s confidence.
Fortunately, Mary already had a secure and stable dog named Maple, who became an extra sibling for Winnie and took her under her wing.
“They have formed an attachment that I don’t see in any of our other dogs,” Mary told The Dodo. “She watched Maple to see how Maple behaved with everybody. And slowly she’s building that trust with people and other dogs.”
Despite the challenges and a story that began on a somber note, everything turned out for the better for Winnie.
It shouldn’t need to be said, but refrain from discarding plastic in nature, and if you adopt a dog, you can’t just dispose of it whenever you want. Let’s focus on the positive in this story and acknowledge all the amazing people who dedicate their time to helping homeless and undernourished animals.
Stephanie and Boonie Flight Project have transformed the lives of many animals, and we can only stand and applaud their efforts. The least we can do for them and other animals in need is to share this story on Facebook, so more people become aware of their invaluable work.
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