This past week Gordon and I went to Creamer's Field Bird Refuge. They do bird banding. We were helping out and observing the really cool birds they caught. While we were there that morning they caught a Sharp-shinned Hawk. After the hawk they didn't catch much, after one trip to search the nets one lady mentioned that she was still hearing a dog out in the wetlands. She tried to catch it yesterday, but continued to run away and refusing to swim. Gordon and I were naturally curious to we hiked to where the dog could be heard, and for adventure started a treacherous hike across the submerged fields. It was very difficult crossing. The water was ice cold and a miss step in a hole could break an ankle or fully submerge us. We used a stick to help pick a trail out through the marsh and frequently used fallen trees to cross deep gorges of water that would go up to our chests. Quickly we lost feeling in our feet, but just as we reached a pivotal moment where we were on the edge of turning back and not risking life and limb, the poor puppy howled. We heard the sorrow, desperation, and its youth in that howl. We altered course toward it and kept moving. We finally made it to a larger island of muskeg and there I saw the pup. It looked a bit like a hound and very young. We followed it, but it would not let us get very close to it. We were following it through prickly rose bushes which left blood trails up and down our legs, but we were determined. We could tell the puppy was very tired, he would only lope until he was barely out of sight before resting. We moved into a pincher movement with Gordon going left, and I right. The dog uncertain what to do tried to hide in a divot, we grabbed him and soothed him. We then began the hike back to trails. At this point we were so tired, wet and had so many abrasion to our legs we were less careful getting back. We got ourselves stuck, We had crossed a very deep portion on a rotting log, but after crossing it had snapped. I managed to cross the rotted log using a long stick. Gordon was carrying the puppy at the time and could do the same maneuver as I had. Luckily the lady who has first tried to rescue the puppy the day before who worked at the banding station was wearing waders and was able to come and get us out of our tricky spot. We brought the puppy home with us and bought is some puppy food. The poor thing was so tired and hungry. I snapped a picture of him after we gave him a bath - he really smelled.
We gave him to the shelter the next day. I am sure he will find a home very shortly. We realized how much we want a dog. We hope to get one as soon as we are able, which wont be until we have a place that allows dogs and has a yard or we have a place of our own and have the time to spend with it.
