Five-year-old pit bull mix Ariel was willing to do whatever it takes to get away from rescuers, including swimming in the sea.
After she exhausted all options, she was saved by Emily Crum, an animal control officer in Alameda, California, and taken to a nearby animal shelter.
“Now that she is off the streets and safe with our caring staff, she is a very happy, sweet, and affectionate dog,” John Lipp, the director of Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter (FAAS), told Newsweek.
Crum learned about the medium-sized brown-and-white dog earlier this month but soon discovered Ariel wouldn’t be easy to catch.
She told Newsweek: “Every stray dog reacts differently to being on their own. Some run right up to us, others surrender when we approach, and some become aggressive. This dog was in full flight mode—she was extremely terrified and very difficult to catch.”
Crum then contacted FAAS, and it wasn’t long before members of the community chipped in to help find Ariel.
“Ariel was out there all alone in stormy weather, exposed to the elements, and clearly very frightened,” Lipp told Newsweek. “In addition, while crossing all the streets she did during her one-week run, she could have easily been hit by a car.”
Then, in a plot twist, she ran straight into the water at Seaplane Lagoon and started swimming away toward San Francisco Bay.
“For 20 agonizing minutes, we stood on the shore, watching her swim,” said Crum. “The current was strong, and every second felt like an eternity.”
A crowd watched as she swam out and then back past the sail drones, hoping she would reach the shore. Miraculously, she made it onto the rocks near Urban Cellars, exhausted but alive. However, rescuers couldn’t risk getting closer for fear she would go back into the water.
They spent the next two hours following her until she was exhausted. Then, she was pampered and showered with love from volunteers at FAAS, a shelter that takes in strays.
After her ocean escape, the staff decided to call her Ariel. Despite getting off to a rocky start, it looks like her faith in humanity has been restored.
Lipp told Newsweek: “She adores people and has a joy for life that is really touching, especially considering what she has been through.
“Everyone here loves her. Yesterday, one of the volunteers who’d participated in the rescue came in. Ariel recognized her immediately and trotted over, wagging so hard that her whole body wiggled with happiness.
“They spent the next several minutes reconnecting, with Ariel doing everything possible to sit in her lap and snuggle while she covered her in kisses.”
Ariel is currently in a foster home but is up for adoption. Lipp explained that she would best suit a calm, loving home with people who would treasure a snuggly, sweet dog and enjoy receiving lots of kisses and doggy love.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
The post Stray Dog Runs for Days, Then Stuns Rescuers With a Final Desperate Act appeared first on Newsweek.
