Lying on the Frozen Ground, Rescuer Saves Starving Mountain Dog

http://www.care2.com/causes/lying-on-the-frozen-ground-rescuer-saves-starving-mountain-dog.html

by Laura SimpsonJune 18, 20155:30 pm

Amanda Guarascio and Dylan Parkinson of Lost and Found Pets of Washington State took on one of their greatest rescue missions last month in a freezing cold, down-on-the-ground maneuver to earn the trust of a starving dog near the base of Mount Rainier in Washington.

It began when Amanda was tagged on a Facebook post about a skeletal dog who’d been seen by many hikers. Some off-road vehicle operators in the forest had been tossing the dog bits of food, but it was clear that the animal was eating very little and had been lost in those woods for a long time. With bitter cold overnight temperatures and no shelter, something had to be done. Amanda and Dylan decided to try.



When they arrived in the area, they found the dog fairly quickly. And although the dog quickly swiped a few of the hot dogs offered by hand, his fear was too strong. The first day of the rescue mission ended in disappointment. So on day two, the women decided to take a new approach. Amanda needed to be as non-threatening as possible so that the dog could get up the courage to be near, so she decided to try playing opossum. She turned her back to the dog and laid down in a fetal position, and within minutes, the dog began to sniff her with a low growl.

“I laid in the road for about 20 minutes before he lost interest and wandered off,” Amanda explained. “I got back into the truck to get warm, and we waited until he went back to a grassy spot on the side of the road. Dylan dropped me off and drove away. It was cold. So cold! Cold enough that it started snowing. Once she drove away, I got down on the ground with my back to the pup, who we decided to call Baby Bear, and slowly started crawling backwards towards where he was laying.”

FULL story at link.