Hope springs eternal, as the phrase goes, and that’s how Roscoe kept going. To keep him warm, he was chained inside a house with straw. Every week, his family gave him some kibble. When his food and water ran out, Roscoe held on to hope that he would be rescued one day.
When the snow started to fall in Illinois, the weather took a turn for the worst. The dog was beginning to wonder if he would make it until daylight. Someone, it turns out, was keeping an eye on the puppy. A citizen reported the small dog to the Effingham County Animal Control and Shelter. Officers Vanessa Skavlem and Michelle Shoot arrived quickly at the scene.
“They phoned us because it had just snowed the night before, and it was a significant amount of snow and extremely chilly for southern Illinois,” Skavlem told The Dodo. “Because he weighed less than 10 pounds, he was shivering to death.”
Roscoe knew his problems were ended when he saw the officers come. “He came sprinting out because he was so delighted to see us,” Skavlem recalled…
Roscoe was carried to the car, wrapped in a blanket. It was the first time in weeks that he felt warm. Roscoe was overjoyed: “You could tell he was just so thrilled,” Skavlem remarked.
They fed Roscoe biscuits and gravy before he fell asleep in his rescuer’s arms.
Skavlem snapped a photo of the dog sleeping and captioned it, “We have a heated atmosphere in there, and he has all his little blankies,” Skavlem said. “When he first walks into the office, he wiggles and leaps upon you.”
Roscoe still whines when his rescuers are around to let them know he is still happy. “He makes this wonderful whine,” Skavlem explained, “almost as if he’s communicating to you.” “It just feels like he has emotions and is appreciative,” says the narrator.
