Dog News

Dog Stuck In an Animal Trap for 18 Hours in an Ice Storm Survives to Tell the Tale

by Fred

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According to reports out of Arnold, Missouri, a dog who had gone missing from his family was found alive, but that’s not really the big deal here.  This poor dog somehow survived being stuck in an animal trap for 18 hours during a horrible ice storm!  The dog, called Dillon, has since been returned to his human mom, Cindy Bess.

Bess said that she had let Dillon out to use the facilities last Thursday afternoon, just like any other day.  It’s just when she returned to the door to let him in, he was nowhere to be seen.  Dillon had somehow circumvented the invisible fence, and had taken off.  When Bess went out to look for him, she had asked neighbor Sue Ziegler for help.

“There was a whole night of texting; everybody texting,” Ziegler said.  “Someone said they were praying to St. Anthony; that was really awesome.”

Understandably, Bess was very concerned for Dillon, as there was an approaching ice storm that news stations had made people aware of.  Everyone available searched and searched, but still, no Dillon.

“They were out there with flashlights, driving around, looking for him. I had a lot of help,” said Bess.

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Bess said that sleeping that night wasn’t even close to a possibility, knowing that Dillon was out in that storm.  The following morning, people went back out to search for him again.  Neighbor Julie Drew was one of the neighbors helping at the time, and it was actually her that finally found Dillon, ALIVE!

We kept seeing tree stumps that would be wet,” Drew said.  “And they were black, so we thought it was the dog, since [Dillon’s] fur is black.  And I wasn’t even looking his direction but just I saw his head faintly move.  And I said, ‘Oh my God, I think I see a dog!’”

Dillon was stuck in a trap that had been set out in the woods by someone, and was unable to get his leg out.  According to those on the scene, it was a painful thing to witness.

“I just felt like it was a miracle.  Because of the ice storm.  And I knew one more night, that dog wouldn’t have survived out there,” Ziegler said.

Dillon was taken in to a vet, and although he survived through an insanely hellish situation, he was relatively unharmed.  He did have some soft tissue damage to the leg that was stuck in the trap, but other than that he was relative fine.  Bess is thanking everyone that came out to help her, and many are calling the situation a miracle.  They may not be too far off the mark on this one…

“You hear so many stories about ugly things happening in this world.  But when you can get people and pull together,” she said.  “Don’t know anything about who you vote for, what your religion is – I don’t care about that.  But they stopped to help.  And I’m eternally grateful for it.”