Alone and soaked through on a rainy day, he was lying in the long grass by a concrete wall when we found him. He was scared of us at first, until he came out to the bowl we had set down.
His name is a nod to the actor Paul Rudd, and to the rainy day we found him left alone and completely wet.
Watch the video13:03We Rescued a Wet Puppy · May 20, 2023 · Open on YouTube ↗
A caller told us about a puppy who had been seen on his own, completely wet. It rained the whole day, and the road to him was long. When we finally reached the place where he had been seen, we began to search. He was here somewhere.
Then we saw him. He was lying low in the long grass beside a concrete wall, his wet coat flat against his body. He did not run. He lay still and looked up at us, and for a moment he let one of us rest a hand on his head.
But he was scared of us. He drew back behind a low concrete ledge and watched us from there, only his head showing above the grass, while we held out a bowl of food. We set it down and waited, because more than anything we wanted him to trust us. In the end, he did.
He came out to the bowl at last, and he was very hungry. While he ate, he let one of us rest a hand on his back, and by the time he finished his plate, he was wrapped in a towel. In the car we dried him with more towels and turned the heat up. Somewhere on the road home, he began to look at us differently, as if he knew he was going somewhere better.
By the time we got home, he had fallen asleep in his towel, and we had to wake him. He was very dirty, and before the vet, he needed a warm bath. At first he sat in a corner of the shower with his face to the wall, looking back at us over his shoulder. He did not stay shy for long, and soon he stood under the warm water while we washed the dirt away.
Washed and dried, he looked like a different puppy. He had turned so fluffy that, black and white as he was, he reminded us of a little panda cub. He ate his dog food with quite an appetite, and when he had finished, we found out how much he loved to cuddle.
Then it was time for the vet. He had a full body check, right down to his belly, and after the way we had found him, we could not be sure what it would show. The news was good. He was healthy, and quite a big boy.
Back home, there was time to play, and he learned new tricks. He loved belly rubs, and he loved being shown affection, this puppy who had once watched us warily from behind a wall in the wet grass. When we filmed his story, we were looking for a family for Puddle Rudd.
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