The Amazing Stuff

The severe rains of late summer and early autumn have caused major flooding along the eastern coast of the United States, forcing many people to flee their homes for higher ground. Conway, South Carolina, was hit hard by the flooding, but amid the panic and uncertainty, a beautiful new friendship was born.

People wade through the rising waters, carrying what belongings they can as they evacuate.

Neighbors helping each other evacuate Waccamaw Drive in Conway. pic.twitter.com/0hMNrwUbAW

— Jason Lee (@TSN_JLee) October 5, 2015

Alex Scroggins was in Conway, SC, helping a family gather belongings when he spied a dog on a neighbor’s porch. As the waters were rising and people were rushing around, the dog was understandably frightened. But Scroggins assumed that the dog’s owners were nearby. After all, who would leave a dog trapped in a flood?

Well, someone did. When the dog remained on the flooded porch, Scroggins finally asked someone what was going on. It turns out the dog’s owner had left a few days prior — and left the dog behind.

Conway flood evacuees save life of Lucky the dog http://t.co/G0R2CVSIYc pic.twitter.com/1TyI92GURD

— The Sun News (@TheSunNews) October 6, 2015

On learning that the dog had been so callously abandoned, Scroggins decided to step in. “I approached him, and he was skittish at first, since his owner had left him high and dry,” he recalls. “After I put my hand out and let him get used to me, he calmed down and I pet him.”

“We scooped him up and took him to safety on the boat,” Scroggins said. “He was almost without a dry place to stand by the time I found him. That dog was going to be swept out.”

With the dog loaded up into the boat, he could be safely transported away from the flood. You can see him here peeking out from behind the couch.

This dog was abandoned at a flooded home on Waccamaw Drive. Some Good Samaritans rescued him. #SCFlood #SCflooding pic.twitter.com/d248YiRqhq

— Charles Perry (@TSN_CharlesPerr) October 5, 2015

After getting to safety, Scroggins tried to find a no-kill shelter for the dog, but they were all full. Not only that, but the dog refused to leave his side. He named the pup Lucky.

He also learned that the original owner had no interest in getting the dog back, and that the Humane Society had been called in on this person for negligence before.

(via The Dodo)

So that’s how Scroggins ended up with the dog, who he’s since named Lucky. He hadn’t planned on getting a dog, but he’s okay with how things have turned out. “I feel like [Lucky] understands what happened, ’cause now he refuses to leave my side,” he says. “It makes me feel better knowing the dog is in a better place than he was. If you see someone in need of help and you can do something, then do something — that goes for people and animals. If you can help out, try. That’s what I hope people take away from this.”

When we cover stray dogs — which is often, sadly — we usually see them as starving and emaciated before they’re rescued. Most, if not all, have spent their lives scrounging for food on the unforgiving streets. In some cases, though, they have the exact opposite problem — but are just as much at risk.

This is Bolinha. This senior stray lived near a gas station in western Brazil for 13 years, and was fed table scraps by the well-meaning, but misguided townspeople.

Dogs aren’t supposed to eat people food, and as a result of not getting the proper canine diet, Bolinha’s weight ballooned until he weighed 80 pounds. A dog his size should weigh about 35.

When rescuers found him, he could barely move from all the excess weight. His joints were under massive strain and he was having trouble breathing.

The first order of business was to give Bolinha a bath — his first ever. He seemed to enjoy it!

He settled right in.

Bolinha was put on a strict exercise regimen, walking on a submerged treadmill. The water helped alleviate the pressure on his joints.

His food intake was also obviously changed. It was reduced, and all those table scraps were replaced with healthy dog chow. He also made lots of new friends!

Over time and with a lot of hard work, Bolinha shed 30 pounds! He’s moving and breathing much more easily now.

His caretakers would like him to lose 15 more pounds, putting him at his ideal weight. He’s looking good!

(via Little Things)

Bolinha is currently living with his rescuers, the Brazilian organization PamPet, which rehabilitates and provides care for mistreated animals. You can see more of their good deeds for needy animals like Bolinha on their website and Facebook page.

There’s no doubt that hugs are touching gestures, but did you know that they could also save lives?

That’s exactly what happened to Kala and Keira — two dogs in a shelter in Atlanta, Georgia — who were about to be euthanized. In a last-ditch effort to find these dogs a home, Angels Among Us Pet Rescue, a non-profit working to save animals from high-kill shelters, published this photo.

The photo quickly went viral, and only two hours and six minutes later, someone had signed up to take the frightened pair home.

(via Click On Detroit)

Sharing things on Facebook doesn’t usually do much, but when it comes to issues like this, the power of social media can be an incredible tool. Kala and Keira were loaded up into a car and taken to the vet, all because concerned animal lovers around the country shared their story. And that’s pretty amazing.

If you’d like to help animals in need, check out Angels Among Us Pet Rescue’s Facebook page. You can also help save lives by sending a donation.

Thinking of getting a pet? Adopt! Find more amazing rescue tales at the links below: