Graveyard puppy rescued, had best reunion reaction!
Cemetery staff in Missouri weren’t particularly frightened when they observed a moving shadow in the darkness one night. Four-legged visitors had occasionally begun to appear, trotting across the grounds. A closer inspection in the daylight the following day revealed the figure to be a small stray puppy. When employees noticed that he had lost most of his fur and that his paws seemed too raw for comfortable walking, they contacted experts they knew at Stray Rescue of St. Louis (SRSL). Donna Lochmann serves as the chief life-saving officer at the SRSL. Speaking with The Dodo, Donna explained: “They simply slip under the fence and decide they like it because it’s quiet.
It’s an enormous cemetery, so there’s ample space for them to avoid people.”. Lochmann and the cemetery staff collaborated to devise a plan for catching and treating the stray puppy. First, they initiated a search of the grounds to locate the dog. Eventually, an employee discovered him resting under a bush after hearing some sounds emanating from the area. Lochmann took the puppy to a veterinarian to help treat his skin and paws. The puppy was named Kamper, after a name inscribed on one of the tombstones near where he was discovered.
Once Kamper had recovered, Lochmann and her colleagues decided to return the puppy to his rescuers for a visit at the cemetery. “It was genuinely emotional for everyone,” Lochmann stated, “especially for Kamper and the volunteer who contacted us.” Kamper immediately and excitedly ran towards his rescuers, licking their faces and leaping from person to person. The cemetery staff clearly shared in the dog’s happiness, too. “The woman who called was overjoyed that we had rescued him and that he was doing so well,” Lochmann remarked. “From our perspective, we certainly appreciated her contacting us so he could receive assistance.”. Following his reunion with his saviors, Kamper went back to SRSL.
Fortunately, his stay there was not prolonged. The puppy was almost immediately placed with a doctor’s family. He received medicated baths and pajamas to aid in the continued healing of his skin, and the young dog also enjoys playing with many other dogs of various ages in the home. “It’s truly wonderful to watch him play and be joyful, knowing he’s no longer that scared, sick dog trying to survive on the streets,” Lochmann commented. “Now he simply gets to be a puppy.” In September, Kamper transitioned to a foster home, and we wish him the very best for the future!