Some workers near the town of Suwałki, Poland, recently heard something that concerned them. From a remote, wooded area in the distance, a dog was heard barking nonstop, as if calling out for help.
Luckily, the workers decided to heed those cries — following the sound until it led here:
Stranded in a puddle of sticky tar and unable to move, there was a dog in desperate need of assistance.
Unable to extricate the trapped puppy themselves, the workers contacted rescuer Joanna Godlewska, from the Niczyje Animal Foundation. She raced to the scene, without knowing what to expect.
"When I finally arrived and saw a dog lying in the tar, tears came to my eyes," said Godlewska.
It's believed that the dog, maybe abandoned, was seeking warmth when he happened upon the illegally-dumped tar — not realizing that, upon lying down atop it, he would become hopelessly stuck.
Nobody knows how long the dog had been there, but it was clear he would not have survived much longer. His spirit was quickly fading.
Godlewska was joined by a crew from the local fire department to assist in getting him out. A glimmer of hope appeared in the trapped dog's eyes.
Rescuers carefully cut away the most tar-gripped portions of the poor pup's fur and used cooking oil to loosen the rest. Then they were finally able to lift him out.
The pup was rushed to a vet clinic to be treated for exhaustion and have as much of the remaining tar as possible scrubbed away from his body.
Fortunately, aside from a couple of superficial injuries to one side of his face, the dog was found to be in good health.
Since then, the dog has undergone some more cleaning sessions — after each of which, his sweet spirit continues to grow stronger.
The dog, now named Farcik, was finally rescued from more than just the sticky death trap he had been found in.
Farcik has still some recovering left to do, but people who care about he surrounds him.
When the time is right, Godlewska plans to adopt him into a loving forever home.
What led up to Farcik's near-fatal ordeal in the tar might never be known — but there is no doubt his will to live, and to alert the right people to his plight, made all the difference.
"I just wanted to save him," said Godlewska. "Thank you to everyone who saved this dog."
Image credits: Fundacja Zwierzęta Niczyje
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