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Someone dropped off a puppy during in the 2021 ice storm, we took him in.

Brent Murphree, Content Director

February 8, 2022

2 Min Read
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After three days of below freezing weather we had a collar on him and he was following me for hikes in the snow.Brent Murphree

It's been almost a year since the ice storm ushered in 10 days of below freezing weather and a new canine addition to our family.

If you are a friend on Facebook, you know how well this dog has integrated into our lives. It has been a very good thing.

I'm still mad at the fact that someone could drop off a puppy on an icy, country road knowing what kind of weather was in store during the following days. It would have been certain death for a younger, more inexperienced dog. He is resilient.

I saw him running after the car that dropped him off. Then he disappeared. I have no idea where he weathered the storm.

That night sheets of ice coated everything. Tree limbs shattered, power was lost, driving became impossible.

I was taking photos of the ice that had blanketed the area when the young dog wandered up. He didn't look any worse for wear. He wasn't shivering, but he looked lost and scared.

He was about five months old and was healthy. He acted so relieved to see a human, but he was a little apprehensive to approach. I called to him, showed him my open hands and he edged toward me.

He sniffed me and I scratched his head. His tail whipped back and forth, and he leapt up.

He stuck around and waited at the back door when we went back inside. I couldn't stand that he was outside in the cold, so we took an old dog crate, put a bunch of packing blankets in it and put it on the back porch. He crawled right in, made his nest and laid down.

I was determined to take him to a shelter if he didn't wander off. He was obviously someone's dog. He was socialized and bright, albeit untrained.

The shelters closed during the ice storm and stayed closed in the cold. In that time, we had long walks, kept him warm and rather quickly fell in love.

As soon as it warmed up and we headed to the vet to check for a chip. I wasn't taking him to a shelter.

In the ensuing weeks we got him his shots, named him Murry and cleaned up the havoc he wreaked on the yard – chewing off A/C insolation, ripping apart manure bags, biting through the cable line, etc. Also, since that storm, he has never once pooped on the two acres we live on.

We nursed him through four months of heart worm treatment, and he's been neutered. We are committed.

I still can't believe that someone would abandon any dog in the conditions he was dropped off. I'm glad we were there. I'm glad they chose my road. But I would punch the guy who left him there in the nose.

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