This Dog Was Left To Perish In A Deadly Flood, But One Human Saved His Life

Catastrophic rain and flooding in the Carolinas and along the East Coast have done billions of dollars worth of damage and forced thousands of residents out of their homes.

Alex Scroggins was helping his mother and sister gather their belongings amid the rising floodwater in Conway, South Carolina, when he saw a yellow Labrador barking from a porch. Scroggins thought nothing of it, assuming the dog’s owner was close by. After several back and forth trips, however, Scroggins noticed the Lab was acting more frenzied, as the water continued to rise.

Scroggins asked some nearby neighbors who told him that the owner left the dog a few days earlier. Scroggins knew that to leave the dog during a flood, is to leave him for dead.

Scroggins told The Dodo:

“I approached him, and he was skittish at first, since his owner had left him high and dry. After I put my hand out and let him get used to me, he calmed down and I petted him. We scooped him up and took him to safety on the boat. He was almost without a dry place to stand by the time I found him. That dog was going to be swept out. It would have been only a matter of time before we saw him floating in the river dead.”

Scroggins carried the dog to safety and aptly nicknamed him Lucky. He brought Lucky around to various no-kill animal shelters, but because of the devastation all shelters in the area were completely full.

“I decided to bring him home with me for the night. I cleaned him up and fed him. He was so happy to be safe.”

The next day Scroggins found out that not only did Lucky’s original owner not care about getting the Lab back, but he had a history of neglecting dogs.

Scroggins said:

“The owner who left the dog knows I have him, but he doesn’t care. He didn’t even ask about him. He had another dog before that needed to be rescued by the Humane Society because he left him tied to a tree outside without food. I don’t think he cared if Lucky would die out there. He had time to come get him, but he didn’t. Who would do that? I’d get my dog before I got anything else.”

Turns out, Scroggins did get his dog because the abundantly grateful, yellow Lab is getting very comfortable with his hero, new best friend, and big-time owner upgrade.

“I feel like he understands what happened, ’cause now he refuses to leave my side. It makes me feel better knowing the dog is in a better place than he was. If you see someone in need of help and you can do something, then do something. That goes for people and animals. If you can help out, try. That’s what I hope people take away from this.”

Looks like that nickname is here to stay, Lucky. And we are very happy for that. 🙂

H/t via The Dodo.