Teacher rescues injured pup Dory found locked in metal crate and thrown in icy river
A teacher who managed to rescue a puppy that was locked inside a cage and thrown into a cold central Illinois lake revealed that the dog, Dory, had been 'clearly abused.'
Bryant Fritz, a middle school teacher at Next Generation School, had gone fishing over the weekend when he found Dory, a black and white female pup. Dory had been locked inside a cage and submerged in rising water in Kaufman Lake. As reported by The News-Gazette, Fritz shared that he had waded into the waist-high freezing water before rescuing Dory.
Fritz revealed, "It was about 3 pm when I saw the dog in the lake. Part of the crate was sticking out of the water. The puppy’s head was still above water, but the rest of her body was submerged. I took off a couple of layers of sweaters and immediately waded into the water to reach the crate."
He added that part of the crate was sticking out of the water and the pup had managed to keep her head above the water. "It was pretty clear the dog had been in the cold water for several hours. I immediately pulled her out of the water and dragged the crate to the shore", Fritz shared.
Upon rescuing Dory, he realized that the pup was suffering from several other injuries. He then took Dory to his truck and turned up the heat as high as possible. He rushed Dory to the University of Illinois Veterinary Hospital after stopping at his house to wrap the freezing pup in a blanket.
The hospital staff shared that they cleaned Dory's wounds and gave her pain medicines. After the Champaign County Animal Control takes custody of the dog, Fritz is hoping that he will be allowed to adopt her and take her home. "As I filled out the paperwork when I brought her to the hospital, I realized I wanted this dog to be a part of my life", Fritz shared.