Nate Ohlman’s morning on February 25th began normally enough. He was driving down the road, carrying the mail as usual, when he observed an elderly dog hunched up in a ditch at the end of a dead-end road.
It was a bitterly cold day in the heart of a brutal Missouri winter, and Ohlman could tell the poor puppy was trying to get warm. Seeing him all alone in the cold broke his heart, and he felt he had to do something to assist him.
Ohlman approached the dog gently so as not to shock him, but soon discovered that the elderly dog couldn’t hear or see very well.
“I went around and made some noises until he saw me, and as soon as he saw me, he sprang up and sprinted towards my mail truck,” Ohlman explained to The Dodo. “He was frostbitten, hungry, and lonely.”
The dog, eventually called Sloan, knew he was there to aid Ohlman the moment he spotted him. Ohlman hopped into his pickup with Sloan, looking down at the tiny puppy, puzzled as to how someone could have let him down so horribly.
Ohlman raced Sloan to the nearest animal hospital, knowing he needed care as soon as possible. He dropped him off, hoping his new friend would be well, and made sure the medical personnel had his contact information so they could keep him updated on how Sloan was doing.
“I told the clinic to give him my phone number.” “I was curious about what was going to happen to this wonderful youngster,” Ohlman added.
Ohlman returned to work and continued on his path, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get Sloan out of his thoughts.
“I pondered how and why someone could do such a horrific thing to such a fragile creature,” Ohlman explained. “It hurt my heart to believe he had no one to adore him. I had no choice but to adopt him. I don’t believe in much, but I do feel I was supposed to discover him.”
At that moment, all Ohlman could do was pray with everything he had that Sloan would survive and that they would eventually find their way back to one other.
Sloan was eventually taken in by KC Pet Project and arrived at their shelter the day after being rescued from the side of the road. He was in terrible shape, and everyone at the rescue was devastated to see him.
Tori Fugate, chief communications officer of KC Pet Project, told The Dodo, “He was terribly underweight, he had sores all over his body, and he could not stand or walk on his own for a lengthy amount of time.” “Our veterinarians gave him the lowest body score condition that they could.”
Sloan’s rescuers began him on meds and fluids right after, and they kept a tight check on him for many days. They were concerned that the sick youngster had gone too far, but after receiving the finest treatment possible, Sloan began to heal and was finally strong enough to transfer into a foster home, where he continued his long journey to recovery.
Sloan was nearly 12 years old when he began to mend and turn into the nicest, goofiest dog who wanted nothing more than to be around people all the time, getting all the love and attention he’d craved for so long.
Sloan was soon prospering in his foster home, and when the time came for him to move to his permanent home, Sloan’s pals at KC Pet Project knew precisely who to contact.
Ohlman was overjoyed to learn that he could finally adopt Sloan, and the pair’s reunion was the nicest thing. Sloan recognized the guy who had saved his life and lavished him with love and embraces. Sloan has settled in nicely to his new home and is enjoying every minute of his new life.
“Sloan is an aging dog who I assume was formerly part of a family,” Ohlman explained. “His manner and deeds bear witness to this.” Someone committed a heinous crime. I was merely acting humanely.”
