Woman Rescues Dog From Cage In Woods, Then Notices Its Legs

Woman rescues dog from cage in woods, then notices its legs. When Georgina Millett was peacefully riding a horse on a Florida trail in 2018, all was right with the world. With the wind in her hair and the sound of gentle galloping to soothe her, nothing could bring her spirit down. Well, almost nothing. When she spotted a frail dog abandoned on the side of the trail, her heart sank. There was no way she was leaving the trail without the frightened pooch. Georgina Millett expected her 2018 Southwest Miami horseback riding trip to be a dream come true. But unbeknownst to Georgina, her relaxing equestrian getaway would soon become an animal rescue mission. While riding her horse, Georgina was shocked to spot a husky shaking inside a cramped cage. Seemingly thrown to the wolves, the dog looked terrified, and Georgina could hardly bear it. Upon taking a closer look, the abandoned animal was underweight. Her nails were overgrown and curling into her paw pads, and she was covered in puncture lesions. There was no way Georgina was leaving without the white pooch. We were going to come back and get the car, and then when we turned around, she just looked at me and was like, you're going to leave me here? Georgina told CBS 12 News Georgina's heart broke into a million pieces. But aside from her other ailments, the jilted mongrel had disfigured front legs. It was hard to tell whether her short, stumpy legs were a birth defect, or if it had to do with being in too small cage for a long time. Georgina immediately whipped out her phone, snapped pics of the petrified pup, and posted them on Facebook, with a caption explaining the unfortunate situation. It wasn't long before a co-worker contacted her saying, sit tight, somebody's coming to pick up the dog. It's really heartbreaking that people have no hearts to just dump dogs in the middle of nowhere, Georgina said. And while Georgina couldn't care for the injured pup herself, a representative from local animal rescue shelter, GTS Husky Rescue, came to save the day. GTS took in the small husky and named her Lucky. It's just terrible to see her struggle. She could only walk a couple of steps, then she has to relieve her front two paws because they hurt, explained Kaylin Riccardi at GTS Husky Rescue Volunteer. But Lucky was safe and sound now, and she made amazing progress in just two days at GTS. She likes the dog bed now that she's got one, but she just likes to sit next to you and be petted all the time, said the GTS live-in coordinator, Corey Shaver. Though Lucky was finally getting the nutrients she needed, her nails were clipped short and her puncture wounds were healing. Her front legs were still deformed, while GTS looked into a solution for that issue. We are looking for some prosthetics that we can use to help her walk around, Corey said in June 2018. And thus, GTS Husky Rescue began collecting donation for Lucky's new legs. Amazingly, Lucky got her prosthetic legs in February 2019, but she needed some time to break them in. At first, I didn't think they were going to work for her. She would scream her head off, to be honest with you, Corey admitted. According to Dr. Tony Yang of Jupiter Pet Emergency and Specialty Center, months of physical therapy have enhanced Lucky's recovery tremendously. It's mainly for just helping her be more active when she is outside going to walk, when she is interacting with other dogs, she said. Just to get her body positioned in a more anatomically normal manner to minimize strain on her back, certain muscle groups, and things like that, Dr. Yang continued of Lucky's physical therapy journey. It was an incredible turnaround considering Lucky used to crawl on her front elbows in desperation. The best thing for Lucky's physical future would be wearing her leg prosthetics for one to two hours a day. After eight months of recuperating, Lucky was finally ready to find a family. She deserves it after being dumped in the redlands. She needs a forever home that is going to give her lots of love and dedicates time to walk in her prosthetics, explained GTS Husky Rescues event coordinator Kaylin Riccardi. Lucky's new owner would have to set aside 45 minutes a day for at-home physical therapy. According to Corey, she's worth every effort. She is a little ball of energy. She loves to run around and play. She's a great dog and she We could have told you that. And while recovering at GTS she even made friends with the other doggos. She loves to bite the other dogs. If she's not on the couch she will bite their ears and their neck to try and get them to play with her, Corey disclosed. That little rascal. In October 2019 Lucky was officially ready to be adopted. She's special and she needs to be treated that way, and we love her. So we want someone that can really take care of her the that she should be, Corey said. Lucky was eventually adopted by a woman named Jessie. Considering Jessie works with special needs children and Lucky is a special needs dog, it was a perfect fit. She had the patience and compassion necessary to care for Lucky properly and treat her like the miniature princess she is. Without people like Georgina, Corey, and everyone else at GTS Husky Rescue, Lucky may have died on that trail. These animal lovers are really making huge strides in giving dogs home. But for one dog lover named Asher Lee, his passion went way beyond just adopting a few pooches. During his teenage years he spent much of his time volunteering at animal shelters. Flash forward to adulthood and Lee found himself stuck in a bit of a rut. He had a successful background in corporate sales, but he wasn't really enjoying it. In fact, he felt his job was soul-sucking. Of course, he could leave all that office nonsense behind him the minute he returned home. A warm greeting from his dogs and a game of backyard fetch would do more than just relieve his stress. It made Lee feel like his true self. As a matter of fact, Lee had been fostering dogs ever since his college days. He sometimes wondered if he could make this more than a side project, but at the same time, the rest of his household had some strong opinions on canines as well. Fortunately, Lee's partner Luke, who lived with him in South Lake Tahoe, shared his affinity for pooches. It was a good thing too seeing as Lee had a tendency to go a little bit overboard when it came to lending a helping hand to pups in need. Lee got the ultimate rush from walking into an animal shelter and leaving with a new member of the family. He knew no other feeling could compare because he'd adopted more than once, more than twice even. By 2018, Lee had brought nine dogs into his and Luke's home. It was a lot for the two guys to handle, but they juggled all their responsibilities with the plum. Still, Lee wondered if he could go a step further. Bringing needy dogs back from the brink seemed like his purpose in life. After talking over different possibilities with Luke, Lee decided that he might as well take the plunge. You only live once after all. Without warning, Lee strode into the office that next day and announced that he was quitting. Not just the job, but the entire nine-to-five lifestyle. Those dog days were over, but Lee's literal dog days had just begun. From that moment on, Lee transformed their home into the Asher House, an organization dedicated to taking in abandoned animals and finding them new homes. Soon, he and Luke had way more than nine pooches to worry about. Lee and Luke were doing a lot of good, rescuing a ton of deserving pooches from their area of California. But to really make a difference, they'd have to figure out a way to cover more ground. Soon, the guys came up with a plan. They set aside some money to purchase an RV, which they then slathered in a fresh coat of paint. Thus, the Asher House RV was born. Luke and Lee could now pursue their mission all over the country. With their slick new set of wheels, the dog lovers stopped by shelters and humane societies across the United States. Besides raising awareness about rescue dogs, they were doing quite a bit of rescuing themselves. Tragically, Lee knew that countless dogs were locked in cages, and some would never get out. But he and Luke took in as many as they could, welcoming them with just as much warmth as they did with their own pups. In most cases, these pooches showed how much they had to offer the minute they left their cages behind. Loving families filtered through the RV and found a forever friend to adopt. For Lee, it got a bit overwhelming at times to be in charge of so many animals at once. But he never missed the office grind for a second. I'm very grateful to have a home filled with so much love and dog fur, he joked. For Lee, this job was the best gift he could possibly ask for. The inspiration just comes from loving dogs and knowing that you're not only saving a life, he explained, but also allowing the space for other rescues to get adopted, too. By the end of the year, Lee and Luke's travels resulted in over 200 dogs finding new homes. Their hard work clearly paid off, and they made some fans along the way, some rather famous ones, actually. Ellen DeGeneres was touched by this bold mission, so she invited Lee and Luke to tell their story on her show. At the end of the episode, Ellen unveiled a huge surprise for these heroes, a $10,000 check. With more momentum than ever, Lee will only ramp up his efforts to help dogs in need. Crazy as it might sound, he looks forward to a future where every pet has a place to call home. The dream's not so far-fetched. After all, people around the planet are undertaking missions just like this. On the island of Crete, for instance, Theoclitus Periscutis, known to the locals as Takis, developed a good reputation with the island's dogs shortly after a disaster struck the region. The Greek man practiced dentistry in the picturesque town of Larapetra, and neither he nor his neighbors ever thought they could ask for more. But by 2009, their dream lifestyles began to crumble. The global financial crisis hit Greece extremely hard, and the following years saw the country's debt and unemployment skyrocket. As some households lost everything, riots and protests broke out on the streets. All over the isle of Crete, families made heartbreaking decisions to save money, particularly when it came to their pets. Some people abandoned their animals out in the wilderness. Others did much worse. The aftermath nearly broke Takis, a lifelong canine lover. He couldn't believe it when he drove past a local landfill. Countless dogs had made it their home, and they were fighting over scraps to survive. Unable to bear the sight of these poor animals suffering, the dentist gave them some relief. He snuck through the fence and poured a bag of dog food in a clearing. As the dogs scarfed it up, Takis noticed many of them were in dire need of medical attention. For the weakest pooches, Takis called in some favors from doctor friends to nurse them back to health. Still, he knew this was a short-term solution. If these dogs stayed out in the open, most of them would die. Fortunately, an open stretch of land on the outskirts of Lera Petra presented a solution. Takis figured that it could function as a temporary sanctuary for the abandoned dogs. At the very least, it would be better than living in the dump. In 2012, the Cretan began moving the neglected pooches to the site, which he dubbed the Takis Shelter. He hoped the dogs could hole up there until they found permanent homes, though the situation immediately proved more complicated than he imagined. Some neighbors complained about the noise from the dogs, and a few hotheads even threatened violence. Nevertheless, Takis blocked out their insults and warnings. He had enough to deal with inside his own organization. As more dogs entered the shelter, his costs spiraled out of control. For one thing, he spent nearly $2,000 a month just feeding all the pooches. But some had even more expensive needs. A number of dogs weren't spayed or neutered, so Takis paid for these operations out of pocket to keep his shelter population from spiraling out of control. Before long, he took extreme measures to keep everything from going under. Takis essentially gave up his old life. He already left dentistry behind to care for crates, abandoned dogs, but soon enough, he also had to sell his home and his car just to pay the bills. There was almost nothing left for him. From there on out, the Takis shelter also became the home of its founder. He slept and took his meals right alongside the animals he was rescuing and feeding. Many people would have considered this rock bottom. But strangely enough, Takis felt more fulfilled than ever before. While there was no denying that his new life was hard, he knew he was really making a difference, and word about his mission started to get around too. As the population of the shelter approached 200, Takis felt incredibly overwhelmed, but he wouldn't be alone for long. Both friends and strangers from Larapetra began to show up at the gates. They wanted to lend a helping hand. Though not everyone had the time to volunteer, many more aided Takis efforts in their own ways. Crates of food and pet supplies, mostly from other countries, arrived on his doorstep. Suddenly, Takis had enough support to do more than just scrape by. As a matter of fact, Takis opened up a new branch of the shelter specifically for abandoned house cats. After all, dogs weren't the only ones kicked out of their homes after the recession. In time, Takis shelter finally began achieving its ultimate goal, finding permanent homes for their pets. Delighted visitors swarmed in to find a new family member and left with huge smiles on their faces. For Takis, it's bittersweet to see his canine pals leave him, but he knows they're off to a better place. He continues to pull unfortunate pups out of landfills and alleys every day. Though now he's sure he's not just giving them shelter, he's giving them hope. After all, there's no sight more joyful than a new dog adoption. Have you ever been so excited you had to bite something? If not, then you've never been on the same happiness level as this golden doodle pup, who forwent the lame duck version of got your nose by literally getting his new owner's schnoz. She found this pup on the side of the road and was going to bring her to the local shelter. But then she saw her face and, well, let's just say she ended up bringing her back to her own house. Can you blame her? If you adopt a dog and she immediately poses for a selfie with you while grinning ear to ear, it's safe to say you made a good choice. It's nothing but clear skies for these two besties from here on out. As the classic club song once decreed, put your hands up in the air, is strictly reserved for those who just don't care. But don't tell this pup that. She and her new family couldn't have looked more excited about their future friendship. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then all thousand words for this one would be some variation of aww over and over. The look of total relaxation and comfort on this dog's face says it all. A really memorable morning might include breakfast in bed, but a puppy wake-up call seems a whole lot better than a tray of toast, bacon, and coffee. All you need is one look at this cuddly doggo's face for proof. What's cuter than a puppy and his new owner gazing lovingly into one another's eyes? You can tell they're thinking of the next dozen or so years of friendship that or this doggo is hoping to borrow the keys to the car. A little sunshine and a hug from a new owner. What more could a dog want? Not a whole lot judging by the look on this girl's face. Her gleeful expression would have looked perfectly in place in a shampoo ad. That's a big smile for a little dog. Tata the pup couldn't help herself after she'd finally been adopted and taken back to her forever home. And because of her happiness, her new owner couldn't help but smile too. Every year he asked for a puppy for Christmas and every year his wife declined. That's another mouth to feed.