Rescuing a stranded dog after Hurricane Harvey

You can call it serendipity or plain good luck, but for one dog trapped by Hurricane Harvey’s floodwaters, Best Friends was there just when she needed help.

A thin, scared boxer found herself stranded in an elevated area on the side of a road as the waters rose around her. And because she had no drinkable water or way to escape the relentless Texas summer sun, she was also in danger.

Nearby, Best Friends’ disaster response team was about to launch a boat to start water rescues and once they spotted her, she became top priority.

Learn how Best Friends is helping in Texas

Help for a dog, just when she needed it

With the dog barely able to walk, rescue team member Ethan Gurney lifted her out of danger and into a van for an impromptu medical exam. She was severely dehydrated and hungry, and the team also noticed that a piece of a chain collar was embedded in the skin on her neck.

The sweet dog, likely in pain from her wound, was given a bit of food and water, but she still wasn’t walking well. It would be necessary to get her to the Rescue and Reunite Center, which is operating in partnership with the Montgomery County Animal Shelter in Conroe, Texas. There she could get the veterinary care she needed — immediately. So they hitched up the boat and headed for Conroe.

When the exhausted dog arrived at the rescue center, volunteer veterinarians removed the old chain collar that was piercing her neck. She handled the procedure like the survivor she is and, luckily, vets determined the wound was superficial. She’d heal just fine.

The medical exam also found revealed that it’s likely she is (at least) partially blind, which may be why she tilts her head endearingly when she sees someone and lifts an ear to hear better.

A dog heals at the rescue center

After only a few days of love and care at the rescue and reunite center, she looks healthy and rested. “I couldn’t believe it’s the same dog,” says Ethan, who took a break from flood rescue one day to visit the dog he helped save. “I’m just glad we were there at that moment so we could help her.”

How you can help animals after Hurricane Harvey

Photos by Molly Wald