Abandoned Corgi Found Wandering, Woman Finally Catches Him After Multiple Attempts

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My story always seems a little unreal, but it is nothing but truth. My husband was coming home from a church event when he called and asked me to bring a leash to the Mobile station. There was a little Corgi, he said. So I grabbed a leash and collar and drove the 1.5 miles.

By the time I got there, this little guy was climbing the hill to our road. He was indeed a full-bred Corgi. Two boys were chasing him on bikes, so I was like, “Oh well, that is that.” I did not think about the incident for a few days, as I had not had any sight of him.

We live in a rural area on a hill above a small town. I was driving into work August of 2011 before a big tornado that hit the Duanesburg area. I slowed in case I might catch a sighting. He ran from bushes in a family yard to my car. I thought, “Wow, thank you!” I opened my door, and he ran very fast back up the hill and into the town park. UGH! I put some food out for him at the mouth of the park, but nothing was touched when I came home, so I wrote the incident off.

Saturday morning, I got out of the shower and said to myself, “Look out the front window.” There he was, poking on the lawn looking for what I am guessing was grubs! My heart soared. I dressed and went for a country walk, but could not find him. I had named him in the interim, because I was caring for my daughter’s dog. Every time we walked, we called for him, Waffles.

Anyway, when I saw him that morning, my mind went into action, I called animal control to ask for a live trap. I laced our front lawn with dry dog food, and made a trail to the back lawn, where I had sausage staying warm on the grill. He had to be hungry; he was out for a week (or more, we did not know). Animal control dropped a trap off, set the food for me, and covered the trap with a tarp. In the morning, I went out at about 4 a.m. and lifted the tarp. His little head was resting on his front paws looking up at me. My heart sank.

At the time, I was involved with a wildlife rehab place, and had a roofed chain link enclosure. I opened the cage, brought the live trap in, and opened it up. He strolled out with dignity. My heart broke. Why was he eating garbage on the side of the road? He was a very handsome, intact Corgi. So I did what I do: called shelters and posted ads. Nobody ever claimed him. His name became Waffles. Two different vets did evaluations over a few weeks. He was not a puppy they said, one said three-years-old, the other seven-years-old. That was a large difference, but his teeth were not great, so I chalked it up to that.

Now I have a purebred Corgi. I have always had strays, but he was a stray and nobody came to claim him. I got treatments and shots to date and loved him. We learned how to walk on a leash and enjoy! We did this for just over 10 years, then he slowed down; we think it was the heart. We loved him until December 26, 2021, when In the Comfort of Home came and helped us say goodbye. This post is May 15, 2023. I have not had a day when I don’t miss my buddy. I called him Buparu, among other names.

How this little guy was left behind, I will never know. He was and still is my heart. The photo is of Waffles on vacation!

Story submitted by Ruth Martino.

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!