He Was Stunned
He knew he needed to record this moment; otherwise, people would not believe him. “Come here, boy! Good boy, Jax!” Sauer yelled. He was taken aback by what he saw.
He had no idea where Jax learned to do this? He was perplexed by his behavior. Sauer's jaw dropped when he opened his mouth after swimming back to shore.
An Uneventful Life
It was a sunny morning in North Carolina as Sauer and his furry companion, Jax, readied themselves for their weekly fishing trip. Sauer lived a peaceful life, and not much happened.
He was a single man who relocated from Ohio to North Carolina as he had more opportunities to grow in his career. He lived with his pup Jax, a dark-colored Labrador, who was given to him as a gift when he moved away.
Man’s Best Friend
Sauer and Jax instantly connected with one another. Sauer felt thankful for Jax because, without him, he would have been consumed with loneliness. It was a difficult decision to move away from everyone he knew, but it had to be done.
And now, three years later, the pair is inseparable. Sauer enjoyed taking Jax on outings and including him in all of his outdoor pursuits. But this time, he ended up regretting it.
Excitement
Sauer looked forward to their weekly fishing trips. It allowed him to clear his head and spend time with his best friend. The pair pulled up to the lake, and Jax could barely contain his excitement.
Sauer began unloading the car as Jax sat and waited for him. It was not necessary to put a leash on Jax, they’ve been doing this for years, and nothing ever went wrong.
What Was It?
The two walked up to the lake, and Sauer realized that there was something in the water. However, he could not make out what it was.
He shrugged it off and began preparing to fish. He turned to Jax, who had his nose aimed directly at it. Saucer pondered if he was missing anything.
Reluctance
In any event, he continued walking along the lake to his usual fishing spot, letting the incident go. He called after Jax, who seemed hesitant to leave but eventually obeyed Sauer’s orders.
Sauer was about to put his fishing equipment down when he observed something that made him come to a stop.
Where Was Jax?
Jax was no longer behind him. He frantically looked around him, hoping to see Jax’s head pop up any second now. He called for Jax, but nothing happened. Sauer could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and he could not help but think the worst.
Did Jax somehow fall into the lake? He combed the surface. His heart suddenly stopped beating. He dashed to the water's edge.
What Was Happening?
Then he saw it; he saw Jax swimming deeper into the lake. Sauer had difficulty keeping track of him because of how far out into the lake he was. Sauer called Jax, but the dog did not listen; instead, Jax began to circle.
The thing Sauer had observed before was in the midst of his circling. Jax moved in close and grabbed it up in his mouth in one rapid sweep. As he began to swim back towards him, Sauer stood there puzzled.
An Odd Noise
"Boy, come here!" Sauer screamed. He narrowed his eyes in an attempt to see the thing in Jax's mouth, but he couldn't see anything.
An odd noise became more and more evident in the background as Jax moved nearer and nearer. It was cautious and high-pitched. Sauer immediately pulled out his phone.
He Had To Record It
Sauer was beginning to fully understand what was going on with his dog, so he decided to use a camera to capture the event. He took out his Smartphone and started recording.
It is a story that you cannot believe unless you have witnessed it for yourself. "Boy, come here!" and "Good boy, Jax!" Sauer was delighted. The experience was unmatched.
What Was Inside?
When Jax finally reached the bank of the lake, Sauer rushed down to help him get to shore. He pulled him up by the color, and Jax quickly opened his mouth.
Now, Sauer could get a proper look at exactly what Jax was holding. He couldn’t believe his eyes as the mysterious object started to take shape. What was inside Jax’s mouth?
A Baby Bird
Jax swam back to shore and opened his mouth when he reached Sauer. A little bird fell out and hit the water. He was chirping and seemed completely unharmed by Jax.
Sauer looked at Jax in awe and picked up the tiny bird. He brought it over to a small patch of grass and carefully dried its feathers. He left it alone for a moment and looked at Jax.
What Happened
“He went right out there about 35-40 yards out in the middle of the pond,” Sauer later explained. “He was kinda doing circles around it... the thing flapped its wings.
As soon as he saw that, with his two front teeth he very nonchalantly grabbed the bird.” But how did Jax know to grab the bird so gently so as he wouldn’t hurt him?
Natural Fetcher
Sauer explained how Jax was a natural retriever and that he had already started to train Jax to retrieve on his fishing and hunting trips.
Sauer and Jax gave the tiny bird a few minutes to gather its strength back and once it did, it rose to its feet and attempted to fly straight to a nest in a tree nearby. That was when Sauer realized something was wrong.
A Close Call
As the little bird tried to fly away, it began dropping and zigzagging. It was clearly not up to its usual strength. After managing to divert away from the water, the bird just about managed to land on a bank adjacent to Sauer and Jax.
Jax immediately took off again. He bounded toward the bird with such speed and energy that Sauer again wondered if he was going to harm it.
It Was Frantic
As everything was happening on land this time, Sauer was able to chase after Jax. As the pair got closer, they could hear the little bird’s frantic tweets again.
Struggling to stick with Jax’s pace, Sauer was panting and out of breath as Jax reached the bird first. This time, Sauer was close enough to see for himself as Jax immediately grabbed the bird in his mouth again.
A Tense Moment
Sauer caught up to Jax and the bird as Jax scooped it up again. Now that he was closer, the action seemed a lot scarier than before. After all, as an almost fully grown Labrador, Jax was massive in relation to the tiny bird.
The way Jax’s jaws closed around the little bird was an unsettling sight. It seemed impossible to Sauer that the bird wouldn’t be crushed.
Sauer Lost Hope
Sauer yelled out to Jax as he reached them. The bird was almost completely invisible inside Jax’s jaws as he trotted over to Sauer. Only its legs were visible as they poked out the sides of his jaws.
Sauer looked for any movement in the legs but saw none. When Jax reached Sauer’s legs, he opened his mouth at last. Sauer was again stunned by what happened next.
Wrong Again
As Jax’s opened his mouth, the little bird popped out of it for the second time. Sauer was shocked again when the bird hit the grass and immediately sprung to its feet once more.
Its head cocked left and right and it ruffled its feathers but otherwise seemed no worse off than before. Sauer felt a little ashamed for doubting Jax again and he finally understood now.
Strong Instincts
Sauer understood now that Jax’s natural instincts meant the pooch knew exactly how to carry the bird in his mouth without harming it. The bird seemed in exactly the same state as the first rescue.
On the surface, it seemed to be perfectly fine and was already walking about. Sauer knew he had to do something different this time.
The New Problem
Even though Jax’s rescues had clearly done the bird no harm, Sauer was convinced it was still injured. The fact that it had dropped out of the air when it tried to fly away the first time was proof of this.
Something about the way it had zigzagged and struggled to stay airborne made Sauer suspect that one of its wings was injured.
A Critical Decision
Sauer knew that a bird with an injured wing wasn’t likely to survive very long in the wild. It was crucial that they tried to help the little guy. Sauer was sure now that Jax hadn’t injured it.
After all, Jax had rescued it from the water which obviously meant it had fallen in there before he found it. It was clear now that the real rescue would have to go far beyond just getting it out of the water.
A Moment Of Panic
For a few moments, the bird just waddled around between Jax and Sauer. Jax followed it around with his nose and seemed very protective of it. Sauer was deep in thought as he tried to figure out what they should do next.
Sauer almost forgot it was there for a moment. Just as he decided what to do, the bird flapped its wings and prepared to take off again.
The New Mission
Sauer managed to gently clasp his hand around it in time and stopped it from getting away. Its wing was clearly in no shape to fly and if it tried, there was every chance it could up injuring itself more, or worse.
Its yellow feathers were almost brown as it was still soaked with pond water. Something about its cute, innocent face made Sauer realize they had to help it. He decided to take it to the vet.
An Odd Trio
Sauer put together a little box lined with a soft cloth paper and placed the injured bird inside. After bundling the fishing gear and Jax into the car, they left for the vet. Along the way, the bird never stopped tweeting.
It seemed to relax a lot more now and instinctively know that Sauer and Jax were its friends. Sauer couldn’t help but smile. When the day started, he never expected that he would end up sharing a car with a dog and a bird.
The Vet
Sauer, Jax, and Twitter (which was what Jax decided to name the bird) finally reached the nearest vet. Dr. Asher and her animal clinic were well known to Sauer as it was where he got all of Jax’s shots done.
After explaining their story and showing Twitter to Dr. Asher, Sauer became concerned when he saw a worried look cross her face.
A Tough Little Guy
After examining Twitter’s left wing, Dr. Asher initially looked grave. After twisting and bending it gently this way and that, she finally looked a lot more relieved. Turning to Sauer, she confirmed that it wasn’t broken.
There was, however, a slight dislocation which was what inhibited Twitter’s ability to fly. Dr. Asher confirmed that Twitter was a fighter so he was going to be okay.
A New Buddy
After doing her magic with some Micropore tape and her deft fingertips, Dr. Asher strapped up Twitter for extra safety. She advised Sauer to keep the bird with him for a day or two.
As the injured wing needed to settle into place again, Dr. Asher did not want to risk the bird trying to take off again and reinjure the wing until then. She also confirmed one last fact about Twitter.
She Was A He
It seems that Sauer had been referring to Twitter as “she” the whole time when, in fact, Twitter was a male. After hearing of Jax’s amazing heroics that day, Dr. Asher was proud of him and he was rewarded with a ton of treats.
Once their rescue was finally complete, on Dr. Asher’s advice, Sauer uploaded Jax’s first rescue video to Youtube. The response was overwhelming.
World Famous
After nursing Twitter for a few days, the little guy was finally released and flew away one last time. Incredibly, the video Sauer posted on Youtube received over 1 million views and thousands of comments.
Some people wondered if Jax harmed the bird but most were quick to his defense and were convinced he was purposefully being gentle. Jax went from a dog-next-door to a superhero in the space of 24 hours! What a good boy!