A rescuer was called to a scene where a young Pitbull was huddled near a fence. She knew the dog was close to the danger zone since he was wandering near the busy freeway, so she had to act fast. Donna Lochmann was not sure how the young dog would react to her presence, and she did not want to make things worse by scaring him, which would cause him to run away.
“If he would’ve gotten spooked and ran, he would’ve ended up right on the highway,” chief life-saving officer of Stray Rescue of St. Louis, Donna Lochmann, said in an interview with The Dodo. “We never want these guys on the highway, for sure.”
As soon as a concerned citizen spotted a black-and-white dog wandering near a highway entrance ramp, they called the shelter, and Donna Lochmann immediately responded. Aware of the weather conditions outdoors, she knew it was extremely cold outside and was dangerous for dogs when they were outdoors for an extended time. When Donna arrived at the area, she saw the pup cold and afraid, standing against a chain-link fence. He was at risk since there were speeding cars near him.
Donna had to act fast. She assessed his reaction while she slowly and carefully walked towards the pup. Surprisingly, the Pitbull was as excited as she was when Donna approached. “When I got closer to him, I knelt down a little bit so that he wasn’t intimidated,” she said. “But he was actually really friendly.”
Excited to see his rescuer, the pup slowly moved towards her with his head bowed and started sniffing Donna. When he realized he was in good hands, he felt safe and started to roll over, prompting Donna to shower him with belly rubs.
When Donna first saw the Pitbull pup, he was shivering from the cold weather. However, he became very excited and started wagging his tail when he spotted Donna coming towards him. She gave him cuddles and wrapped her arms around the pup to protect him from the cold weather. Soon, they headed back to the Jeep.
“He let me pet him right away,” Donna said. “He was very sweet.” She named him Peterbilt from one of the semi-trailer trucks that passed by. Inside the car, Donna talked to Peterbilt to calm his nerves and make him relax. She also gave reassuring pats on the head of the adorable pup.
Donna wondered how Peterbilt ended up on the highway ramp entrance. However, one thing she was assured of, he was used to human interactions. “He definitely wasn’t unfamiliar with human touch,” Donna said. “Somebody had him but just really didn’t take good care of him.”
Peterbilt was immediately sent to a vet clinic for a thorough check-up. Fortunately, he was in good health and officially ready for a foster home. Peterbilt’s days of wandering the streets are finally over. Not long after the vet visit, he found a loving foster home he deserved. Before he went on his way, he kissed every staff member of Stray Rescue of St. Louis goodbye. Peterbilt knew he was about to start his new life.
Peterbilt loves his new life in a foster home. However, the adorable pup is still up for adoption and is still looking for his purrr-fect forever home. He likes going for walks with his humans and loves to cozy up in his bed for a nap while he waits. Donna is assured that someone will fall in love with the affectionate Peterbilt very soon and will provide him with a forever home. He deserves to be loved, and Peterbilt will love them right back.
“He’s gonna fit right into someone’s family,” Donna said. “He’ll do great as somebody’s family member.”
Images credits: © Stray Rescue of St. Louis
