When Stacy Batson took her usual route home from work in Quincy, Florida, she never expected her day would end with a rescue. But when a small dog ran out from the roadside brush and chased Batson’s car, she answered his call and pulled over.
The frail and hungry pup led Batson to someone special who also needed her help — his brother.
“I came across the two pups on my way home from work,” Stacy Batson told The Dodo. “It was late in the evening, but the brindle pup greeted me first. He [appeared to be] the strongest and very friendly and bubbly.”
The other brother, a brown and white puppy, didn’t quite trust Batson just yet.
“He leaned on the other for confidence, it seemed,” Batson said. “But both had very sweet natures about them.”
“They were starving, so I shared my lunch that I didn’t eat with the two of them,” Batson said. “It completely broke my heart.”
After the siblings enjoyed Batson’s leftovers, they felt safe enough to sniff Batson’s hand. She doesn’t know how long they survived in that spot but knew she had to help so they’d no longer be hungry and alone.
Despite Batson’s first call to action, she says her uncle Silas is the real hero.
“He picked them up and took them to a rescue,” Batson said. “I wanted to make sure they were safe and taken care of.”
Thankfully, Rescue Paws Pet Refuge Inc. took over.
After getting the all-clear from a vet, both pups — nicknamed Burger and Sketti — are being cared for in a foster home until they go to their forever home together. And, although Batson wasn’t directly involved with their care after her initial discovery, she checks on them via social media often and sees how they’ve come to life since the rescue.
While the puppies were hesitant to touch people at first, they’re now always playing or giving kisses.
“The pups have been doing well,” Batson said. “It thrills me that such a small gesture of kindness has reached and touched so many.”
