A Sick Stray Dog Searched for Food at a Courier Station. Someone Came Back for Her.

Goldie paced back and forth at a courier station, looking for something to eat. She walked with an uneven gait and kept biting at her irritated skin. When she came up beside the person who would rescue her, she still hadn’t found any food.

The rescuer went to a nearby cafeteria and bought her a meal. Goldie ate so quickly that the rescuer could see how hungry she was. She licked up what was left and walked away.

The next time the rescuer came back, there was food again.

A meal turned into several visits

The staff at the courier station seemed used to seeing Goldie around. To the rescuer, the way she kept biting at her skin was hard to miss. She was thin, and much of her fur was gone.

The Merck Veterinary Manual describes one way dogs show persistent itching. “A dog with pruritus will excessively scratch, bite, or lick its skin.” Pruritus means itching. In Goldie’s case, what the rescuer could see at the station was enough to know she needed help.

Over the next few days, the rescuer returned to feed her several more times. Goldie had a chance to get used to the person bringing the meals. Once the rescuer was able to catch her, they took her to a vet.

If you find yourself in a similar spot, Humane World for Animals gives this advice. “If you’re not able to safely restrain the animal, call the local animal control agency (in rural areas, call the police).”

At the clinic, Goldie was still shivering

“The dog was very thin and shivering,” the rescuer recalls. Her skin was in especially poor shape around her head. The exam found severe malnutrition and inflammation, and the clinic admitted her.

Goldie was already a year old. She looked small for her age because she was so thin and had lost so much fur. The vet estimated that treatment would take at least two months because she was so weak.

The first meal at the station had shown the rescuer that Goldie was hungry enough to eat every last bite. At the clinic, the staff had to give her time to put weight back on while they treated her skin.

Getting enough nourishment was part of her care from the start. As VCA Animal Hospitals explains, “Wound healing and tissue repair are closely interrelated with nutrition.” At the hospital, the team could support her nutrition while treating the condition that had left her so uncomfortable.

On day 20, she was jumping up to greet people

During those first visits, Goldie began greeting the person who used to bring her food. After about a week in the hospital, her skin was beginning to heal and she seemed more alert. She was still early in a stay that would last roughly two months.

By day 20, her fur was growing back. She was more eager to be around people and kept jumping up to interact with them. A month into treatment, she was closer to going home, but there was still more waiting ahead.

On day 50, the rescuer took Goldie outside for a little while. Her coat had grown back, and she was eager to play. When the rescuer asked her to sit, she kept right on playing.

She watched the rescuer leave one more time

Even after Goldie met the clinic’s discharge criteria, she stayed a few more days for observation. “I’ll pick you up and take you home in a few days,” the rescuer tells her at 6:17. Goldie kept looking back as the rescuer left, her head tilted to one side.

By day 60, she had gained weight and her coat was soft and shiny. When the rescuer arrived, Goldie barked again and again. Then it was time to leave the hospital. She bounced with excitement and picked up the leash in her mouth.

The dog who used to walk away after finishing her food was finally going with the person who’d brought it.

A new place to wait for dinner

At home, Goldie had energy to spare. Outside, she ran fast enough that her rescuer had trouble keeping up. In the kitchen, she could be still. When someone cooked, she waited quietly beside them. She kept the rescuer company during breaks, too.

After a month at home, she was settling into a quieter routine. The video reports that she’d recovered by the fourth month after her rescue. By month five, the camera lingered on her fluffy tail. At six months, the dog who had once spent her time looking for food had a home of her own.

There’s a big stretch of time between the meal she ate at the courier station and those quiet evenings in the kitchen. Her rescuer kept coming back for the visits in between.

If Goldie made you think of someone who always stops for a stray, send them her story.

Also read:

Duke Could Barely Stand When He Was Rescued. Then He Spent Halloween With a Family.