I was cruising down the road because it had rained the day before and the trails were muddy. (Hear that, TRA CKS??!) I happened to come across a vehicle that was oddly parked on the side of the road. As I got closer, I saw what I thought was a house cat run under the car. In normal fashion, I kept on going -- not even slowing down. Later that day, I happened to mention it to my fiancée and she agreed that it was peculiar. What would a house cat be doing way out there? Not thinking much about it, she just said that the next time I was up there, ride by and take a closer look. But when would that be?

As fate would have it, I was up in a similar area two days later. Figured I would slide by and see if the vehicle was still there. As I got closer, I could see the vehicle and right away, I thought to myself, this time I am stopping. As I got closer, I noticed that the vehicle truly was precariously parked. It didn’t look like anyone had pulled off the road to simply take a hike. Even if it had broken down, you would think that they could have done a better job of getting it out of traffic. I pulled up next to the vehicle and, out of the corner of my eye, I saw what I thought was a bunny running toward the truck. Quickly realized that it must be the cat. Once it made it under the truck, it began to bark at me. It wasn’t a cat or a rabbit at all -- it was a dog. A young dog. I quickly set my bike down and went to the forest side of the vehicle. Sat down about 20 feet away and called for the puppy. It took a while for her to get the courage to come out. She was hiding up underneath the vehicle up in the wheel wells and around the shocks. She finally came down and far enough away from the truck that I could get a good look at her. She was really cute. Couldn’t be more than 8 to 10 weeks old. Now, what was a puppy -- this young -- doing way out here? Was she part of the abandoned vehicle or simply abandoned herself? Regardless, I knew for a fact that she spent at least three nights out there on her own and possibly more. She was scared, tired, hungry and thirsty but more than anything, she was really cute! I pulled a bottle of water from my pack and offered her a sip. She was a bit apprehensive but finally mustered up enough courage to come over and really let me get a good look at her. She was a little thin but -- for the most part -- in pretty good shape. Oh, and did I mention that she was really cute?

Now that I was building her trust and she was no longer afraid of me, I had to figure out what was up with this abandoned vehicle. The more I looked around, the more suspicious it looked. The mirror was broken with glass on the ground. There was a hunting bow just lying on the ground and especially the way it was parked was weird. I decided to call the sheriff dispatch and report the vehicle. I explained to the operator what I saw and gave her the license plate number. She said that she would have a deputy call me. While I waited for the call, I played with my new friend who now seemed very happy that I was there. Not too long and my phone rang. It was the sheriff’s deputy. I once again explained to him what I was seeing with the vehicle and the puppy and he agreed that it didn’t seem right. He was going to call the person that the truck was registered to but was on the way. Not really wanting to wait, I asked him if I needed to stick around until he got there. He said “no” and I told him I was taking the puppy. Since the dog had no tags and there was no way to truly associate her with the vehicle, he agreed to let me take care of her. I picked up my things, got my bike ready, and started to figure out how I was going to ride while holding the puppy. She was small but not quite small enough to fit in my Camelback. I thought about tucking her into my shirt but, if she fell out, I would feel bad. I grabbed her up in my left arm and began to wobble my way home. I’m not saying that I’m the best rider in the world but try to ride carrying a dog -- even a small one -- and see how easy it is. It’s not.

The entire time this was going on, I was in constant communication with my fiancée and she was heading my way to pick up the puppy. I rode for about 4 or 5 miles with the dog basically asleep in my armpit (eww – gross!) before we met up. I transferred the puppy to her for a safe ride in a comfy car. I finished out the ride as fast as I could. We took the puppy into the house and got her some food and water. We fed her a little at a time so she didn’t get sick and she was happy to eat and drink. For the first day or so, she mostly slept but after that, it was pure puppy time! 

We don’t know which breed she is, just some sort of mix. She has become a member of the family and we all instantly fell in love with her. She has brought joy and laughter into our lives and I can’t picture our family without her. I tell people that this dog won the lottery. In reality, fate brought her to us and us to her. We rescued her that day in the truest sense of a rescue. I don’t have any idea how long she was out there hiding from the scary forest sounds -- lions, tigers and bears. She’s safe now. Happy, goofy, clumsy…. fits right in.

Not related to the above story, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention something. On my last ride, I ended up in a situation. Some people came by and helped me out. Not because I asked but because it was the right thing to do. I don’t know your names and you don’t know mine but thank you! From the bottom of my heart, thank you!!