A few years ago, the folks at Three Little Pitties Rescue (TLP) in Texas received a heart-stopping call for help. The caller described finding a stray dog near a busy rodeo with a metal tire rim stuck around his neck — and he was becoming more upset by the minute.
TLP’s rescue team raced to the scene and nearly broke down in tears after seeing the poor, helpless pup in such a dire situation.
“His head was swollen, and I knew that if we didn’t get him to the vet very soon, that he might not make it,” Russel said.
Without skipping a beat, the team carefully sedated the dog to prevent further injury while transporting him to the vet. As soon as they arrived at the clinic, the dedicated veterinary staff got to work removing the tire from his head.
“They covered him with towels because he was so afraid, and he wouldn’t let us touch him,” Russel said.
Despite all their best efforts, the veterinary team couldn’t figure out how to remove the tire from the dog’s head, so they called in extra reinforcements.
“Eventually, we had to call the fire department,” Russel said. “They had never seen anything like it before either and used the jaws of life to break the tire rim off.”
“A few days later, he started to open up,” Russel said. “I would watch him light up around my other foster dogs. They just accepted him. It was like he was a puppy all over again.”
It wasn’t long before Pickles was adopted, and he’s been enjoying life ever since. While his rescuers miss having him around, they’re overjoyed that Pickles is finally receiving the care he’s always deserved.