Here’s a feel-good story that’ll make all the hunters and dog-lovers out there happy.
A South Dakota pheasant hunter was cruising a field and had just shot a bird. To his surprise, an unlikely guest made a perfect retrieve on the bird. Working her way up to the hunters, what they first thought was a coyote was in fact a very skilled yellow lab. After contacting officials, the female lab was transported to the Aberdeen Area Humane Society.
The abandoned dog, who became known as River, was in rough shape after spending an undetermined amount of time in the field. Over that time she had developed sores on her feet and joints. The rough South Dakota weather had been unusually cold for days leading up to her discovery. In fact, temperatures had reached -32 degrees a few days prior and held steadily below zero for multiple consecutive days. Those temps are not taking into consideration the wind chill, which can make for potentially fatal conditions in the area.
Upon her arrival at the shelter, River received food, an examination and a chance to sleep. In fact, she slept for a solid 48 hours after lying down in the warm, dry kennel.
River didn’t have any identification tags or microchips. The shelter believes her to be 8-10 years old. According to shelter manager Elaine Schaible, “she’s very well potty-trained and obviously knows how to hunt.”
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