‘Sweet’ 10-year-old dog found floating on shopping cart in Arizona canal gets new home
A 10-year-old dog has a new home after she was found laying on top of a shopping cart floating in an Arizona canal, a rescue says.
A passerby spotted the Chihuahua mix, Dorothea, stranded in the middle of a canal on June 16, the Arizona Humane Society said in an Oct. 28 news release.
“Knowing time was of the essence,” the rescue made its way to Dorothea alongside the Phoenix Fire Department.
They “quickly devised a plan to save the pup,” the rescue said.
A video of the rescue shared by the nonprofit shows Dorothea laying on the shopping cart staring off into the distance as water rushes by.
Then, a rescuer sitting on a ladder slanted on the side of the canal drags the shopping cart closer to the canal’s edge using a curved pitchfork.
The rescuer swaps out the pitchfork for another tool with a looped rope at the end, which he uses to get a hold of the dog and guide it out of the canal.
“The sweet senior pup was all tail wags when she was finally ashore,” the rescue said.
While riding in a pet ambulance, Dorothea was “scared but open to receiving help,” according to the nonprofit.
She was “dehydrated, hungry, covered in ticks and a bit stinky from the canal water,” the rescue said.
Dorothea was rushed to an animal hospital, where veterinarians examined her more thoroughly and found she only had minor injuries, the rescue said.
Though she needed some dental work, she “was in otherwise great health given the circumstances,” the nonprofit said.
During her month-long treatment at the shelter, rescuers said she was “a sweet, loving girl who enjoyed cuddles and attention from people.”
This story was originally published October 28, 2024 at 4:40 PM with the headline "‘Sweet’ 10-year-old dog found floating on shopping cart in Arizona canal gets new home."
