In early February, the morning after a powerful blizzard, two men were driving along the Trans Canada Highway when something unusual caught their eye — a dark shape against the untouched blanket of white snow. As they got closer, they realized the shape was moving.
Something — or someone — was trapped in the deep, snow-filled ditch below.
Concerned, the men pulled over and approached for a better look. It wasn’t long before they realized the struggling figure was a dog, buried in snow and unable to free herself.
The snow was far too deep for the men to safely reach her, so they called Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue. Michelle Neufeld and two other rescue workers immediately rushed to the scene and began forcing their way through knee-deep snow and thick shrubs to reach the frightened pup.
“We were in snow past our knees, so it was very difficult to reach her and extremely cold, but we managed,” Neufeld, the rescue’s president, told The Dodo. “When we got to her, we realized she was in very rough shape and her whole body was full of mats. You could tell she’d been out there a long time and had even tried digging holes to make a bed.”
The large dog was far too weak to stand, let alone walk — and the drifts were too heavy to carry her through. Thinking fast, the team slid her onto a tarp and slowly dragged her out of the ditch and into safety.
After days alone in the snow, the exhausted dog immediately melted into the warmth of the vehicle, resting her head on the seat as if finally at peace.
At the veterinary hospital, tests revealed she was dehydrated and running a fever. But after a night on IV fluids, she began to rally.
Once strong enough, she received a full shave to remove her painful mats — and for the first time, Riley (as she was soon named) began to relax, even play.
With no owner coming forward, Riley moved into a foster home to continue healing. Her foster family fell in love almost instantly.
She’s still nervous around new people and hesitant outdoors, but each day she grows braver. She adores being part of a new “pack,” complete with two dogs and a cat, and follows her foster parents everywhere.
“She is very inquisitive,” her foster parent told The Dodo. “And she wants to be wherever we are all the time. She’s pretty happy, considering what she went through.”
To help more dogs like Riley in southeastern Manitoba, donate to Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue to make an enormous difference.
