Our First Rescue!

We started before we began!

We knew when we started that before we rescued our first dog we would spend a lot of time and do a lot of work to launch Arctic Spirit. After all, we wanted to do it the right way from the start. And until our website was operational, we really couldn’t do much- or so we thought.

We should have known from past experience that the first rule of thumb in rescue is you never know when an animal in need will come your way. Dogs find us anytime of day or night, with no regard to family plans, work schedules, or other life events. But a month before we were ready to launch the website, I found myself sending out an email to our small group saying, “Can you believe it? We haven’t even launched yet and we had our first successful rescue today!”

As it happened, Ron (our treasurer) was driving home from the pet supply store one Sunday afternoon and spotted a dog running loose on busy West Chester Pike. He followed it into the parking lot of a local restaurant, and the dog came right to him. Finding that it was wearing only a collar with no tags, there was no other choice but to bring him home. He called ahead to say he had picked up a lost dog, and I was ready with a leash and water.

Out of the car jumped our beautiful new friend– a white coated American Eskimo breed mixed with maybe Shiba Inu. Sweet and friendly with charming black eyes. Clearly he was a beloved pet who had simply lost his way. As luck would have it, we scanned him with Arctic Spirit’s only microchip reader, and a number appeared in the scanner. The nice people at Avid reached out to his owner, who called us immediately and arranged to meet us at the same restaurant parking lot, which is near her home.

Alberta was waiting, thrilled to get her baby back, and she shared with us his remarkable story. He was rescued in Okinawa by her son while serving in the U.S. military. His paperwork when bringing him to the United States named him “Pending Montgomery” and he happily goes by “Pending” to this day! The American hero suffers from PTSD, and Pending’s gentle nature helps to calm him. However, Alberta- who cared for Pending while her son struggled to overcome the PTSD- fell in love with him and missed him terribly when he went home with his daddy, so now he is shared by them jointly. When not helping an American patriot recover from the stresses of serving his country, he is providing love and companionship to his mother.

We shared stories about northern breeds and their wonderful spirits, and gave her our number in case she ever needs our support. And so, before we even officially launched, Arctic Spirit Rescue was open for business! We know that there will be many more stories, and many more dogs will find us when they are in need. Ready or not, we will always make an effort to do what we can.

We hope Pending’s story will help encourage others to microchip their animals. A collar with tags and a microchip are the two best ways to help your pet find a way home if ever lost.