Helping out a stray dog that you find on the side of the road sounds great in theory, however, many people underestimate just how hard the situation can be. More often than not, stray dogs are already wary of humans. That’s the situation that one woman in Kentucky was faced with when she discovered a dog in a pretty bad situation. You won’t believe why this one dog refused to move from the middle of a busy highway.
20. Family Motto
Image: honest to paws
Melissa Ringstaff and her entire family have a motto that they always stick by. “We can’t save the world, but we can do something about the one in front of us.” So whenever the family gets the opportunity to help someone out they always take it.
19. Helping Animals
Image: honest to paws
The motto that the Ringstaff’s abide by has come in handy many times. They have often found themselves helping out tons of animals in need. The family has often picked up stray animals wandering around Harlan, Kentucky.
18. Doing Good
Image: honest to paws
The Ringstaff’s would often pick up the stray animals and give them a home and food. They would even go out of their way to find the animals permanent homes. That’s the situation that they all found themselves in when they discovered a Great Pyrenees.
17. Saturday Morning
Image: driving-tests. Org
On a very early Saturday morning, the Ringstaff family were driving along the highway with 2 hours more on the road to go. However, as they were rushing along they noticed a large dog in the opposite lane. Many cars were swerving in order to avoid hitting it.
16. Concerned
Image: honest to paws
The family immediately worried that the dog had been hit by a car and couldn’t move. Melissa Ringstaff’s husband Mykal, a pastor, decided to turn on his hazard lights and pulled their truck over. They decided to get out of the vehicle and check up on the dog.
15. No Injury
Image: honest to paws
As the family began to approach the dog they were shocked to find out that the Great Pyrenees had absolutely no injuries. However, the dog still wouldn’t move from the road. That’s when Melissa found out the heartbreaking truth.
14. Another Dog
Image: honest to paws
As she walked off the road, Melissa soon saw something that almost brought her to tears. There, in a ditch off the side of the road, was another dog that had in fact been hit by a car. Unfortunately, this little pup didn’t make it.
13. Stubborn
The Ringstaff’s tried desperately to lure the dog into their truck, however, no matter how hard they tried the dog refused. So the Ringstaff’s went on their way since they were already heading off on a day trip. However, 10 hours later they returned.
12. Still There
Image: honest to paws
When the family returned to the spot the dog was still there, however, he did move out of the road. The family decided that they couldn’t just leave him there. So they grabbed the huge dog and placed him in the back of the truck!
11. Asking Locals
Image: youtube/melissa ringstaff
The Ringstaff’s were determined to find the dog’s owner, so they began asking locals in the area. However, each person told the Ringstaff’s the same sad story. They couldn’t believe how horrible it was.
10. Abandoned
Image: honest to paws
Locals told the Ringstaff’s that the two dogs originally belonged to an owner that had recently moved away. Instead of taking the dogs with them, the owners left them in the backyard to fend for themselves.
9. Days
Image: honest to paws
The worst part was the dogs had been living off the side of the highway for days without anyone stopping to help them. Melissa’s heart was touched by the dog’s story and she knew she had to step in and make things better.
8. Taking Care
Image: honest to paws
So the Ringstaff’s brought the dog home, fed him, bathed him, and made him feel better. Later that night, Melissa brought the dog to a local kennel. However, the dog refused to fall asleep at the kennel. Instead, he did something unexpected.
7. Escaped
Image: honest to paws
The Great Pyrenees decided to escape from the kennel and go off on his own. Melissa and the entire family quickly decided to go out looking for the pooch. They asked everyone all around about the pooch, but no one had seen him.
6. Three Days
Image: honest to paws
It took three long days of searching until they finally discovered the giant dog! They found him while driving along in a small town in Kentucky. The Ringstaff’s had already put in 100 miles on their vehicle on the hunt for this sweet pooch.
5. Few Miles Away
Image: honest to paws
The pooch happened to be just a few miles away from the Ringstaff’s home and sat happily on the front porch of a home. That day, Melissa decided to buy the dog some dog tags with his new name on it. “In the end,” Melissa wrote, “we named him Tucker.”
4. Tucker
Image: honest to paws
“He’s incredibly sweet, very gentle, and we’ve yet to hear him bark,” Melissa wrote when describing the dog. Now, not only is the sweet dog bearing the name Tucker, but he also happens to be a Ringstaff.
3. Falling In Love
Image: youtube/melissa ringstaff
The family knew at this point that they had fallen in love with Tucker and that they couldn’t let him go. After all, they had all gone through so much to make sure that he would be okay in the end.
2. Positive Spirits
Image: youtube/melissa ringstaff
“There was something about this dog that really made us fall in love with him,” Melissa also wrote. It is true that although Tucker had a tough life he still managed to remain positive through it all!
1. Amazing Journey
Image: youtube/melissa ringstaff
Tucker has gone through quite an amazing journey and he has never been happier. The pooch is now a part of a happy and loving family! Talk about a real happy ending.