Playing hide and seek sure is a fun game; however, sometimes that game isn’t a game at all.

A pup, scared and abandoned, decided that the woods would be the best hiding place to shelter herself away from the world. That is until a kind soul showed her that the world is still filled with good people.

A rescuer immediately made her way to help this poor pup; however, they didn’t have too much luck in finding her.

“At first, I didn’t really see her anywhere. But I went back the next day and sure enough there she was, still in the weeds,” said Donna Lochmann, SRSL’s chief lifesaving officer.

Fergie was extremely cautious of her rescuer. Considering how long she had been out in the cold woods all alone, she didn’t really trust anybody who approached her.

Naturally, she started growling at Donna, warning her to stay back. However, Donna, being a trained professional, realized that something was going on.

I realized that she wasn’t using her front right leg. She was clearly injured.

Rescue Mission

Besides being injured, this poor pup was also isolated by intertwining vines and thick leaves. Donna quickly realized that catching Fergie by placing a slip lead around her neck wouldn’t be the smartest decision.

Luckily, she had a clever trick up her sleeve.

I thought it’d be easier to set a trap and see if she went in. So I got a bunch of fresh fried chicken and put it in one of my traps.

Donna decided it was best if she left Fergie alone, thinking she would make her way into the trap if nobody was looking.

Coming back later to check on her, Donna was left quite shocked. Not only was the chicken left untouched and the trap empty, but Fergie wasn’t hiding in the woods anymore.

She had left the woods and made her way to an abandoned house that was located nearby.

Settling herself alongside the foundation of the house, Fergie kept on staring at Donna, showing her that she still hadn’t gained her trust.

But, Donna wasn’t ready to give up just yet.

Second Try

Donna realized that this dog couldn’t be caught, but rather lured in, so she took a new approach. Getting down on her knees, she started talking to Fergie in a gentle voice, wanting her to know that there was nothing to be scared of.

She didn’t get up and try to run away from me this time.

She slowly approached Fergie, and when she got close enough, she gently threw one end of the leash in her direction, showing that it wasn’t something that would hurt her.

Fergie didn’t really have a reaction to the leash, so Donna carefully slipped it onto her head, and to her surprise, Fergie didn’t really oppose it.

She pretty much just shut down. She must’ve been so exhausted from being alone for so long.

Donna was really happy that she finally gained Fergie’s trust, and without wasting any time, she carefully brought her to the car and took her to the vet.

After a very thorough checkup, the vet stated that because of her shoulder injury, she will have to have her leg amputated. In addition to that, she had also tested positive for parvo.