It is a tragic sight for the residents of Carleton in Michigan, USA, on this day.
A stray dog is wandering the streets, and in its desperate search for food, it has found itself in a hopeless situation.
The Last Stop Animal Rescue and Sanctuary (TLSARS) receives numerous calls and the rescuers know immediately that there is no time to lose.
The fateful jar of cheese balls
The hungry stray was obviously rummaging through garbage lying around to find something to eat.
In the process, he came across a jar that smelled deliciously of cheese balls. Following his appetite, he stuck his snout in – and suddenly the whole head was inside.
As is unfortunately so often the case with dogs, the head fits perfectly through all possible openings, but then there’s no going back.
That’s what happened to this poor street dog when he tried to satisfy his appetite for cheese balls.
Now his head is stuck in the glass and the dog is out and about in the city with the glass on his head.
The situation is highly dangerous: the dog has limited vision, cannot defend itself against the coyotes that live in the area, is running out of oxygen and is unable to eat or drink.
Race against time
The animal rescuers have arrived with the usual live traps and bait, but now they are faced with two problems:
Firstly, the dog is wandering around in desperation, so the humans keep losing sight of it.
Secondly, he can’t pick up any scent with the glass on his head. This means it cannot smell the bait and therefore cannot be caught.
The rescuers follow the animal for several days and nights as it becomes weaker and weaker.
In the end, however, this turns out to be a good thing, because the dog is so exhausted that the rescuers can simply take it with them.
Breathing again at last
The glass is still firmly attached to the dog’s head and cannot be pulled off. Once at the shelter, the rescuers try again with great care and courage, but it won’t budge.
Fortunately, it is only a plastic jar, but a very sturdy one. The animal rights activists have no choice but to carefully cut up the container to free the dog.
A short time later, they look into the overjoyed face of a lovely, sweet dog. He is visibly relieved to be able to breathe again and happily greets his rescuers.
The animal welfare workers have the impression that this is not a real stray, but an escaped pet. Unfortunately, he is neither chipped nor wearing a collar.
So the helpers have to keep him at the shelter and hope that the owner will get in touch. Tom and Sue Walsh, the founders of TLSARS, lovingly look after Cheeto, as they call the dog.
„He’s been very lucky“,
says Tom, and he is absolutely right.
Source: The Dodo, Inside Edition
