Violently
The creature was moving around so violently that he feared it would break his arm. He tried his best to keep him at bay because it was what he needed to do.
The mud was wet and slippery, but the other men wanted to help. They decided to move in from either side to try and help free the dog. They had been working tirelessly for hours, and the animal had been growing frightened by the minute. Jim startled with a yelp, and they wondered what they had gotten themselves into.
A Beautiful Place
Broken Arrow was recognized for its beautiful lakes, forests, mountains, and wildlife. Resident Jim Passmore was proud to live there and felt lucky to be surrounded by such breathtaking scenery.
He would enjoy the daily walk with his dogs down by the creek. Living in a wild place like this was a thrill. But one day, he would walk down only to find something he would never have expected.
Noticing Something Strange
Jim took his dogs out for a walk as often as he could. He thought they deserved to enjoy the area’s beauty, too but never veered from their chosen path. They had been following the same route that ran next to the creek for years.
On the day of the incident, they had been walking for a few minutes when Jim and his dogs rounded the bend. That was when they noticed something out of sorts.
They Wouldn't Budge
There was a clearing surrounded by tall grass just off of the path. His dogs caught the scent of a strange object sitting there and froze in place, growling. Jim noticed the peculiar thing, too but his dogs stayed put, not wanting him to get any closer.
Jim gave his dogs a curious look and was surprised to see their hackles were raised. He took that as a sign to be cautious because his dogs could sense something that he couldn't.
Back To The Creek
Jim tried his best to get them to move forward but to no avail. As much as he wanted to investigate, he knew they would make it difficult. Whatever was down there could be dangerous, and he thought it best to take his dogs back home.
Once he dropped the dogs off at the house, he rushed back to the creek. He found the spot and slowed down, carefully approaching the clearing.
A Large, Grey Box
With every step Jim took, his view of the strange object became more apparent. It wasn't long before he discovered what appeared to be a large, grey box.
He continued stepping forward and realized that what he was looking at was more than just a box. It was a crate used to house animals. Suddenly, a foul smell struck his nose, but that didn't stop him from looking inside. As he knelt, he wondered what it was doing out there and felt a shiver run down his back.
Chained Up
The crate door was open, but he was more startled by what he saw inside. There was a stained blanket, and he noticed something had been chained inside. He had no idea what it was because it had escaped. The only clue he could find was the considerable bite mark on the side of the crate.
Jim had caught wind of illegal exotic animal trade in the area and he did not want to encounter what had been chained up inside. But fate seemed to have other plans because when he turned around, he felt a pair of eyes on him.
Watching Through The Trees
Jim felt his heart rate pick up, and his hands started to sweat. His muscles began to tense in case he needed to run away or if he had to fight his way to safety. He knew something in the trees was watching him.
He scared it off by making himself look larger than he seemed by yelling and waving his arms above his head. His sudden movements seemed to work because something had emerged from the rustling bushes. Jim glimpsed it before it rushed away, but the encounter unsettled him.
It Was A Beaver
It had been a beaver that dashed off into the bushes, but Jim couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. He followed after it and wondered why his dogs didn't want to get any closer to the crate. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it but did the beaver want him to follow?
Jim was surprised when he noticed the creature didn't seem scared of him as he walked after it. But he wondered where he was being led to and what it wanted.
Sinking In The Mud
The beaver led him to the bank of the creek. Jim started to feel uneasy when his feet began sinking into the soft mud, knowing full well the danger it presented.
Jim's mind was racing with questions. He decided to get a better vantage point but struggled to get up the embankment. That's when he heard a strange noise.
It Was Moving
With a wet thrash, something large was moving. It was a brown mound in the water, just off the bank. It was clearly struggling.
Jim’s curiosity got the better of him as he rushed to see what it was, then he realized that it was an animal trapped in the mud. Jim didn’t hesitate. But he had no idea what kind of creature he was dealing with.
Common In The Area
After he had spent a few minutes studying it, Jim realized that the creature, just like the one who had led him there, must be a giant beaver. Beavers were extremely common in this area. It all seemed like it made complete sense to Jim now!
The poor creature, stuck in a mud trap, was unable to free itself. Jim rallied a few friends together, and they all got to work to save the beaver. But the group had forgotten one very important detail about the creature.
A Vicious Bite
This beaver was no different from any other beaver — they are incredibly territorial and have even been known to attack humans. As the rescue party approached, the animal lashed out and managed to bite one of Jim’s friends, to everyone’s alarm.
The man rushed to the hospital as there was a chance that the animal was carrying rabies. The remaining men remained to try to free the animal. Jim came up with an ingenious plan to avoid another bite.
Jim’s Solution
Jim didn’t know how long the poor animal had been trapped for, and it obviously was feeling vulnerable and under a lot of stress. He decided that he had to cover the animal’s eyes, so he removed his jersey and wrapped it securely around the creature’s head.
The beaver struggled at first, but then it started to calm down. The men could now work faster around the beaver. But there was still one problem. No matter how hard they pushed, the animal wouldn’t budge.
A Difficult Situation
Jim and his team tried to dig around the beaver, but because it was half-submerged in the water, their efforts proved to be useless. They needed to devise a plan to somehow get underneath the animal and hoist it out.
Then, Jim realized exactly what they needed: a pulley system. So they got a rope, and Jim managed to tie it around the creature’s torso. They had hoped that this would work, surely? Then the team quickly realized that there was one enormous flaw in their strategy.
Encased In Mud
The beaver refused to budge and was well and truly stuck in the mud, no matter how hard the team pulled. Finally, after struggling for what seemed like days, they felt the animal start to move a little.
Spurred on, they pulled with all their might in one last massive heave, and finally, the beaver was lifted to safety. Jim, wiping the mud from its face, suddenly stumbled backward. This was no beaver!
Wiping Away The Dirt
As Jim wiped the mud away from the animal’s face, he stared in disbelief. There, underneath all the caked mud and dirt, was a quivering sheepdog. Instead of an aggressive beaver, they had been dealing with a frightened dog all along. Jim hesitated in amazement.
He had gotten it all wrong! And the most surprising thing of all: the beaver that had led him there had known what the animal had been all along, but had still returned with help. The dog was in an ok condition, despite having being stuck there for a while. This new information called for a different tack, as they couldn’t just release the dog into the wild as they would have with a beaver. Jim knew exactly what to do.
Rescue
Jim called the Oklahoma Alliance for Animals immediately, and they quickly took the dog into their care. But the dog was incredibly wary of people, and this presented a problem.
The rescue organization would have to work long and hard to get him to trust humans again. The dog was named Teddy, due to his big and cuddly appearance. But the local vet had some bad news about Teddy.
The Vet’s Diagnosis
The vet advised that Teddy was suffering from a huge weight issue –The poor pup was diagnosed with morbid obesity. This was probably what had caused him to get stuck and unable to free himself from the muddy embankment.
Teddy’s weight was also putting immense strain on his joints, and he was not able to move easily. Additionally, the vet had a suspicion that Teddy had been stuck in the creek for days, which caused him to have a mild case of PTSD. Nevertheless, there was hope yet.
Hope For Teddy
Teddy disliked most people, but there was one special woman whom he had allowed to come close to him. The receptionist at the animal shelter would visit Teddy daily, and she had clearly made a lasting impression on him.
Then one day, she even allowed her to cuddle him without putting up a fuss. This new behavior gave the shelter workers hope for Teddy as it showed that he was becoming more used to people. They then decided that it was time to do something for him.
Happy Ending
The shelter had decided that it was now time to start advertising Teddy as up for adoption.
They were slightly skeptical as Teddy was thought to be eight years old — a senior dog who may have a hard time getting adopted. But people were undeterred by Teddy’s age, and the public flocked to meet him. Ten months after his traumatic ordeal, Teddy found his forever home.
In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead are entirely coincidental