The heat outside was beyond endurance but a dog lay helpless on the scorching pavement unable to move. Bystanders had noticed the Belgian Malinois sitting on the road for over an hour. People weren’t sure if he had been hit by a car, but there was blood on his paws.
Rescuers with The Animal Rescue Center of California were called and they rushed to Thermal, California where the temperatures that day had reached an excruciating 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celcius); the asphalt was a scorching 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71 degrees Celcius).
“The heat alone was going to kill him,” The Animal Rescue Center of California (The ARC) wrote. “His situation was dire.”
But thanks to a team effort they got to the dog in time. Some rescuers were able to get the dog over to the side of the road and into the shade. Local animal control couldn’t bring the dog back to their shelter because he was on the Torres-Martinez reservation, but an officer helped The ARC get the Malinois into the back of their car so they could take care of him and then search for his owner.
“Pierce” as they named the dog, was in obvious pain but rescuers worried about finding an available veterinarian. Thankfully they found a vet that could look at the injured dog. Pierce was urinating blood and his internal temperature was 105F/40C (almost heat stroke). He also refused to walk.
Fortunately, Pierce didn’t have any internal injuries. However, the extreme heat had burned his paw pads so severely that they were burned down to the bottom layer. No wonder he couldn’t walk, he couldn’t put pressure on his paws!
Pierce’s owners could not be found so he is now up for adoption.
