Park rangers heard the pitiful cries of a dog and went searching for the source of the sound. They found the canine, who was eventually named Deputy, standing on the muddy edge of Longview Lake, slowly sinking.
The dog couldn’t get out as whoever left him there tied his leash to a cinder block, which was pulling him down into the water like an anchor.
An employee of the Great Plains Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Tonya Hampton, rushed to the location after getting wind of the situation.
According to her, the park rangers saved Deputy by tying a second leash to the block, which they then pulled out of the water. The pooch followed them to safety.
Image credit: Great Plains SPCA on Facebook
Deputy was far from friendly after his rescue, however. He was understandably scared, having had such a close brush with danger.
Tonya took her time building rapport with Deputy, sitting with him and feeding him from her hand to show the dog that not all humans are cruel.
Once Deputy started to calm down, she removed the rope and led him to a kennel. The canine even sighed in relief as he sat in Tonya’s car, seeming to realize he was finally out of harm’s way.
At the SPCA, Deputy got a good, long shower to get off the thick layer of mud that had hardened on his fur.
Afterward, the staff wrapped him in a soft, warm blanket and gave him some food. Nobody knows how long the canine had been standing on the water, but he was starving.
Tonya shares that she felt angry at what Deputy had to go through; had the park rangers not heard his cries, he might have drowned. Still, his story has a happy ending—several people called the shelter, interested in adopting Deputy.
The SPCA staff finally decided on John, who had heard about Deputy in the news and visited the shelter more than a few times to get to know the pooch better.
And so, about a week after his horrible ordeal, Deputy has found a fur dad who’ll make sure he gets all the love and care that he deserves. They both look so happy, too!
Watch Deputy’s story in the video below:
Source: Inside Edition on YouTube