Last Updated on April 17, 2022 by Pets Feed
A homeless dog finds an open car door and decides to jump in for help and ends up being adopted.
A man named Bill Shaver went fishing without thinking the trip would change his life when he met his new rescue dog. After spending time fishing in Arkansas, Bill was on his way back to his Missouri home when he decided to stop at a rest area.
Since he knew, it was only going to take a few minutes, resting, stretching, using the bathroom and quickly taking the trash out of his car; decided to leave the car door open and the engine running.
Returning to his car, he had an incredible surprise in the front passenger seat. A homeless dog was sitting there.
A dog gets into a car to seek help
Bill looked at the dog intently and realized he was very neglected, only skin and bones, visibly hungry. So, Bill offered him the only food he had at the moment; a bar of Rice Krispie.
The dog quickly devoured the sandwich and curled up in the seat, making it clear that the poor animal was looking for urgent help.
At that point, Bill knew he had to do something, he couldn’t leave her there and there was no way to get that sweet little face away. Without thinking for long, Bill knew the right thing to do was take her home with him, because finally the dog had found the right helper.
Bill and his wife usually help by taking care of homeless and needy animals, so this situation was not strange to them.
It was obvious the dog had no family and no signs of his disappearance, so Bill texted his wife with the photo of his new travel companion.
When his wife, Angela, received the message, she accepted Bill’s decision and said she was ready to receive it with love.
Angela Shaver told The Dodo:
I asked him what was the name of our new pet. We decided to call him River because of where he found it.
When Bill got home, Angela and her son came out to greet their new pet, but River refused to get out of the car.
River wasn’t afraid of his new family, but he seemed to feel safe in the car; probably because it was one of the first places, he received help. After spending some time in the car, Bill decided it was time to meet the whole family, including his doggie brothers.
Bill got her out of the car and took her to meet her new siblings one-on-one so he didn’t feel too overwhelmed. The family had three dogs and a cat, all of whom had been rescued from the streets and they were happy to add one more.
When River felt a little confident and met each of the family members, it was bath time.
Angela said:
After everyone decided he was okay, Bill took her for a swim. He was covered in mud, blood and ticks. After it got dry and a few ticks were removed, he had a good meal. Bill made a bed for him on the floor of our bedroom next to the heater. He slept there all night.
River woke up the next morning with more breath and decided to carefully explore all the places in his new home. He started to adjust to his new home and ran into the yard with his new siblings, but he was never too estranged from his parents.
He was slowly coming to terms with his new life, but the family realized it wasn’t strange for them, so they deduced that he could have had a family before he ended up on the streets.
Although it was obvious that the female dog had already had a family, the first night in her new home he had a small accident.
Angela said:
We had an accident at home the first night. But the incident was near the door. He had to go out, but he didn’t know how to tell us.
A visit to the vet revealed the female dog had parasites, was suffering from heartworms, neck and face injuries, indicating he had been in a fight.
Despite this, the sweet dog sat patiently while the vet provided her with the medication and corresponding treatment for her injuries.
By analyzing her good behavior, it was more than clear that River was very grateful to have a new family and to be safe.
Little by little, he progressed and his confidence increased, even if at the beginning it was difficult for him.
Angela said:
He runs into the yard and doesn’t chase anything with Winston, he sits down for cookies with Ginger and takes over with Butters. The cat was hostile the first few days, but eventually accepts it.
When River decided to get in that car that day, it was an act of fate and although he didn’t know what would happen, thankfully his life changed forever.
Images: Angela Shaver
