When a news crew in Corpus Christi, Texas, saw a dog hanging by his rear right leg from a chain link fence this morning, at first they feared the dog was dead.
But as they got closer, they saw the dog was still alive and wagging his tail. Using a pliers, an unidentified 3News photographer cut the dog loose.
The news crew notified Animal Care Services. When an officer arrived, he took the dog to a neighbor across the street who said she knew the owners.
It’s not known how the dog ended up on the fence or how long he was hanging from it (or why no one helped him until the news crew came along). Once he was freed, he was able to walk around, but didn’t put weight on his rear right leg.
An Animal Care Services spokesman told 3News the department had been in contact with the dog’s owners.
“The dog appeared to be medically okay. There was a little bit of damage to the paw,” the spokesman said. “So when we spoke to the owner, we educated them, told them they needed to go to their primary veterinarian for medical treatment. We’re going to be following up on that in the next couple of days to make sure they did provide that treatment for the animal.”
The owner will receive a citation if the dog is not examined by a vet.
According to 3News, there were several dogs running loose in the area where the dog was found. Animal Care Services said they would be sending additional officers to round up the dogs and locate their owners.
Hopefully the owners of the dog freed from the fence will keep a better eye on him, and the photographer who rescued him will be identified and rewarded.
If this story gives you a sense of déjà vu, a Missouri dog in a similar predicament was rescued in 2010 by Plattsburg police officer Nick Sheppard. This video of the rescue — and the dog’s reaction to being saved — went viral.
Photo via Facebook