Stray Golden Doodle Found Huddled in Snow After Blizzard

A stray Golden Doodle is lucky to be alive after she was found nearly frozen to death in deep snow after a blizzard. A Good Samaritan driving the Trans Canada Highway in Manitoba, Canada thought they spotted something in the snow and went to look. As they approached the lump in the snow, they realized it was a dog!

“It was the morning after a two-day blizzard and this dog appeared to have been huddled in the snow for a while based on the amount of urine,” the volunteer-based animal rescue, Steinbach & Area Animal Rescue, wrote on Facebook.

Riley, as they named the female dog, was so cold and so scared she wouldn’t walk. Riley’s fur was not only blanketed with snow, but she was also covered with dreadlocks and painful mats in her fur.

“She was too cold/sore/scared to walk, and as much as we tried to encourage her to walk we had to pull her out on a tarp, which wasn’t easy because of the deep snow,” Steinbach Area Animal Rescue continued. They created a makeshift sled by using a tarp. But they were waist-deep in the snow and had to heave and pull her to safety. They shared a video of Riley’s rescue.

When they got Riley to the vet, the vets told them that she had not been microchipped or tattooed and she had had puppies at some point. They right away gave her a bath and haircut.

Riley, now renamed Winnie, is a very sweet dog and she went home to live with the rescue’s president. A month after her rescue, Riley’s fur was growing back but she did have one concern – the snow. Given her bad past experience it was no surprise that Winnie was reluctant to go outside. But being in Manitoba, that posed a problem, given the long, snowy winter months. Thankfully, Winnie overcame the painful memories with the help of a warm winter jacket and her family’s encouragement.

Winnie is now a loving family member and never has to worry about being left in the cold again.

To support the Steinbach & Area Animal Rescue check out their website and Facebook page to see how you can support their rescue efforts and adopt the other pets they have rescued!