When Rebecca Van Schepen arrived for work at the Kentucky Humane Society (KHS) one morning in early June, she saw someone sitting just outside the door. She was confused at first, but as she got closer, she began to make out a sweet and desperate furry face who was clearly looking for help.
The pup, later named Cowboy, was curled up on an Amazon delivery bag outside the door to the shelter. He tried to get up to greet Van Schepen, and that’s when she realized his leg was badly injured. Security footage showed that someone had abandoned him there at 7:30 p.m. the night before. Van Schepen arrived for work at 7 a.m., meaning poor Cowboy had been waiting over 11 hours for someone to find him.
“Security camera footage showed that he never moved from the Amazon delivery bag the entire night,” Ally Duncan, PR and marketing coordinator at KHS, told The Dodo. “Despite his injuries, he had hope-filled eyes and was eager to crawl into Rebecca’s lap for love when she arrived.”
Cowboy was in so much pain, but he didn’t let that get in the way of showing his new friends at the shelter how grateful he was to finally be safe. Unfortunately, his leg was too severely injured to save, so the veterinary staff at the shelter performed an emergency amputation. They were worried about how Cowboy might react to losing his leg, but he continued to be the most resilient dog they’d ever met.
“After the amputation, he was placed on cage rest for a few days to make sure that the stitches healed correctly,” Duncan said. “We could see a shift in his mood almost immediately. Cowboy transitioned to life with three legs beautifully!”
As Cowboy healed, he soaked up every ounce of attention he could from his shelter friends. Everyone there fell head over heels for the sweet pup and couldn’t believe how quickly he was able to bounce back after everything he’d been through.
“Cowboy is affectionate, playful and has never met a stranger,” Duncan said. “During his time at KHS, Cowboy snuggled and kissed staff members, and spread joy everywhere he went. He was truly a breath of fresh air!”
Cowboy has since been adopted and is loving every minute of life in his forever home. His new family can’t imagine life without him, and everyone is thrilled that he was able to find his happy ending.
“His new family says, ‘He fits into our family like a piece of a missing puzzle,’” Duncan said. “We are absolutely thrilled that we were able to help Cowboy and help him find his perfect home!”
