A mother’s pain over her child’s death is an emotion so universally understood that it translates across issues of language, race – and even species.
Such is the case for one neighbourhood in Savannah, Georgia, which is transfixed by the story of a grieving Golden Retriever who refuses to leave the side of her dead puppy.
Now officials are worried about health risks to the mourning mom as temperatures in the area fall below freezing.
Fifteen-year-old photographer Hunter Cone discovered the dog several days ago while walking through Savannah’s Laurel Grove cemetery for a school project.
“I looked closer and saw a dead puppy, and realized it was a mom mourning the loss of her puppy,” Hunter said.
Cone said he and his mother tried to provide the bereaved mom with food and water, but she wouldn’t let anyone get close.
“I’ve seen before how mothers treat their puppies, but this is different. She is sticking around, which leads me to believe it must be her last puppy,” Cone said.
Cone posted about the dog on his Facebook page, and he said he was soon overwhelmed with responses.
Concern now turns to what to do about the dog, with temperatures going below freezing overnight.
Cone’s family put in a call to the Coastal Pet Rescue agency, but the laws in Chatham County, Georgia make collection of the animal a slightly tricky issue.
“Although we are a rescue agency, we are only permitted to rescue directly from animal control or owners surrendering their legally owned pets,” Lisa Scarbrough, a member of the Coastal Pet Rescue, told Action 10 News in Corpus Christi, Texas.
According to Savannah-Chatham Animal Control, they got a call Wednesday about the dog – however, only one animal control officer was available at the time. With multiple other animal incidents that day, they were unable to collect her from the cemetery.
The agency says they have been out since Sunday trying to rescue the dog, which has so far avoided allowing them to get close enough for capture.
“We’re hoping to work with the cemetery staff, and hopefully get her into an area where we would be able to impound her,” Animal Control Supervisor Christina Southerin told WTOC News in Georgia.
“Hopefully, she’ll learn to trust us.”
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