A terrifying incident left a small stray dog fighting for his life after he was attacked by two larger canines in Spokane, Washington.
Near the SpokAnimal shelter, a team member’s quick thinking and bravery saved the life of Earl, a small stray thought to be a heeler and chow mix.
Maranda Hudkins, a staff member at SpokAnimal, was out walking a shelter dog on April 17, when she heard distressing screams from a nearby residence and rushed to the scene. When Hudkins arrived, she was confronted with a horrifying sight—two large dogs attacking Earl, a smaller stray who had wandered into their yard.
“The ladies were in their yard and could not get their two dogs off of Earl as they were killing him. Maranda jumped into action and yelled at the dogs, which took their attention for a moment, so she reached in and scooped Earl up and ran out of the yard,” Executive Director of SpokAnimal Dori Peck told Newsweek.
SPOKANIMAL C.A.R.E.
Quickly, Miranda ran 40-pound pup Earl to the vet clinic at the shelter to try to get him the help he needed.
Once at the shelter’s veterinary clinic, Earl received immediate medical attention from SpokAnimal’s dedicated team. “Our vet team jumped into action and began immediately triaging him. Earl received heavy doses of pain meds and lots of fluids the rest of the afternoon at our clinic,” Peck said.
Despite their best efforts, Earl’s condition remained critical, prompting his transfer to the Animal Emergency Clinic for overnight critical care. “He lived through the night and returned to our SpokAnimal clinic yesterday morning,” Peck said.
The shelter shared the heartbreaking story on its Facebook page, which prompted the community to rally around the small, injured pup.
Thankfully, Earl is still fighting against his injuries: “One of our amazing veterinary techs spent the night here last night caring for him and administering pain meds throughout the night. Earl wagged his tail for the first time this morning as well,” Peck said. “He is more stable this morning, so we’re hoping he will continue to improve. It will take a long time for him to heal physically and mentally.”
Peck highlighted the heartbreaking reality of animal rescue work in 2024, and the financial toll of caring for animals in need.
“This is the sad reality of animal welfare,” Peck said. “Shelters and rescues are overcrowded like never seen in many years. We all care so much and we are all doing our best to be the resource that people need, but we all have limited funding. Shelter, animal control, and rescues are unsung heroes that deserve all the support in the world! Please consider donating to your local shelter or rescue.”
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
