So, there I was tooling along headed to my favorite fishing spot when I saw the ubiquitous orange five gallon bucket beside the road. You know the ones from that big box store. Having driven off without a bait bucket, I decided to stop and pick it up. Luckily, there was little traffic that day with most people toiling away at their jobs it being Wednesday. So, hitting the flashers, I backed up a bit and pulled over to park. After all, no sense in walking the 25 yards or so back to the bucket. I hit the trunk release as I got out intending to pick up the bucket and chunk it into the back of the car.

As I reached for the bucket, I heard a pathetic whining sound coming from said bucket. With a bit of unusual caution, I stood back up and approached the bucket and looked down into it. Damn. There in the bottom of the bucket was a very emaciated puppy. Being the sucker I am, I gently picked up the starving puppy and held it close to me as I gently petted the little thing trying to sooth its heart. Using my free hand, I picked up the bucket and returned to my car, tossing the bucket into the trunk and then closing it. I got back into the car and gently placed the little guy on the passenger’s seat. Since the country / bait store was just a few miles ahead I headed on that way.

Arriving at the store, I picked up the little fella and headed inside and stepped up to the counter and gently set the little guy down. My friend, Rose, looked at the pup then at me. Rather than telling me to get this filthy dog off of her counter, she picked up the little pup and tucked him into the nook of her neck and cooed to him. “Where on earth did you find this poor little thing, Dave?” she asked. So, I related to her the story of the pup in the bucket and remarked how he looked as if he had not eaten is some time and asked what she thought I should give him. Fortunately, she was at as much of a loss as I was so I called my vet. Rob told me to bring him on in immediately so I forgot fishing for the day.

Rob has a mobile vet practice in a specially equipped RV type vehicle. Everything you would expect to find in a regular vet’s brick and mortar building but it is on wheels and comes to you. Except on Wednesdays when he parks it at his doggy day care. So I headed to the doggy hotel to meet Rob. Got there and Rob’s assistant took the little guy from me and gave him a quick rub with a treated cleaning cloth. (He was more than just a little dirty from being in the bucket out in the open.) Rob then picked the little guy up and gave him a quick going over. “Dave, I gotta say, you found him just in the nick of time. Another day or two and it would have been too late” Rob told me. “As is, he is going to need some special care before you can feed him anything normal. I’ve got to plug in an IV or two to get him rehydrated then we’ve got to come up with a feeding plan. Leave him with me and I’ll call you tomorrow. Any idea what you’ll call him?”