Donna Lochmann is not stranger to encountering timid dogs. As the Chief Lifesaving Officer at Stray Rescue of Saint Louis, she knew that trying to rescue a four month old puppy hiding in a wooded area would take a lot of work. “She was pretty feral,” Lochmann said. “She clearly had not been handled by humans.”
The puppy was one of nineteen animals being rescued, all of which had little to no contact with humans. This dog, later named Roaring River, was the most scared of the bunch. Donna and the shelter's manager, Kiara, persisted through and would not give up trying to rescue the dog.
Roaring River nipped at Kiara's hands, but they were eventually able to get a hold of the puppy and take it to their jeep nearby. All of the dogs were taken to the shelter and immediately received the medical attention and love that they deserved. Roaring River was extremely scared of leashes to start, so the team would carry her out to the yard. “We carried her out to the yard the first few times until she got more used to being on a leash and walking some,” Lochmann said. “But even then, it was a struggle.”
With time she began to adapt to her new life and her fun and happy personality worked its way out. “She runs, plays and chases the other dogs,” Lochmann said. “She’s a totally different dog.”
She is still up for adoption, but ready to meet her forever family soon! “She’s still at the shelter, but there’s a family who’s interested in adopting her,” Lochmann said. “They’ve been taking it slow and coming to meet her. They’re just really letting her get used to them, which is a smart way to handle that. They seem very patient and understanding of her situation.”
All of the dogs that were rescued with Roaring River has since found foster homes or been adopted, and she will soon be joining in on the love. “She’s such a sweet girl,” Lochmann said. “It’s finally her turn.”
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