My recent rescue of a beaten, shot and abandoned female Plott Hound!

huntsman53

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I thought that I would share this story and venture with everyone here on TNnet to put a spotlight on what happens to many dogs that are unwanted!

On March 30th of this year while Spring Gobbler hunting, I found a young female Plott Hound that was beaten, shot and abandoned on a TVA Public Access area on Cherokee Lake here in East Tennessee. She was starved nearly to the point of death, had very little in the way of claws due to digging for worms, bugs and probably moles and mice to eat. When I hunt, I always carry some Vienna Sausages, Beanie Weenies and candy bars with me, so I fed her some of each. I tried that day, to get her to come to me but due to being beaten, shot, abandoned on on her own for what appeared to be several months, it was clear that it would take some work to rescue her, bring her home and give her a loving home. This began me on a fairly long quest to gain her trust as well as feed her as often as I could, spend some time with her and eventually catch her. Well, after traveling 18 times the nearly 35 miles one way to the location from my' home over a period of 24 days, I finally was able to pet her, get ahold of the nape of her' neck, place a collar and leash on her and lead her out to my' truck in which she rode the nearly 35 miles to my' home with me and my' Jack Russell male pup. It was a long road and I must admit that due to the costs involved and becoming disheartened with each failure on attempts to catch her, I nearly gave up the quest several times. I burnt up nearly $200 in gas, drove well over 1,200 miles between my' two trucks, spent an unknown amount of money on really good canned and dry dog foods and treats to get her healthy and to lure her close and went through a lot of turmoil and soul searching in trying to figure out what to try next. I also spent $89.50 with a local Veterinarian for two different medications that would make her drowsy enough for me to catch her or put her to sleep to do the same. However, neither of the medications worked as they should and was money not well spent. After trying to lure her in with my' nearly 6 year old male Beagle and not having any luck probably because she is still a pup and he is an old fart like me, I took my' male Jack Russell pup in hopes of better results. Well it worked out as they interacted so well on Monday, April 21st, that I took him back with me on Wednesday, April 23rd. Since this poor Plott Hound craved for the attention and companionship she deserves, she would always follow me and/or me and one of my' dogs on treks into the woods. While on a trek on April 23rd, I stopped off to dig some Black Cohosh roots making sure to pull my' male Jack Russell pup close so that he would not be able to slip away but also to lure her in closer. Well, in what was only the second time in 18 trips, the sweet gal came close enough to me and my' Jack Russell pup and actually let me pet her after she smelled my' fingers and hand. While petting her gently which she sorely needed, I gently took ahold of the nape of her neck, placed a collar and leash on her, then led her and back to my' truck and brought her home. Well, it has been almost 5 days since I was finally able to bring her home and she is doing very well and through all of this, she has probably put on close to 10 pounds of weight. We are still trying to think of and give her a suitable name but with each passing day, she is becoming more and more trusting of each of us here at my' home. Also, while I suspected that she had been shot (due to the holes inthe flaps of her' ears), I wasn't totally sure of this until the night I brought her home. There are Coyotes residing in and roaming the fields next to my' property as well as across the road and that night they started howling and coming close. Due to the threat the Coyotes pose (we lost a lot of cats to them over the years), I use Bottle Rockets and Firecrackers to keep them away and fired some off that night but well away from the Plott Hound. Well, that was a mistake which put the poor gal in a terrified frenzy to get away and confirmed that my suspicions were correct, that she had been shot. Needless to say, I will never make the mistake of shooting off Bottle Rockets or Firecrackers ever again.

Below are pics of this sweet and very gentle female Plott Hound. The first pic was taken at the TVA Public Access area on April 11th, only 12 days after I first found her, then the last two were taken on April 25th, a little over two days after brining her home.


Frank

PlotHound4.webpPlott Hound 002.webpPlott Hound 003.webp
 

Lot of respect for you for going through that to give that dog a proper home. It never ceases to amaze me how people abuse animals.
 

You did good. As a reward you got another mans best friend.
 

Thanks for the kindness. You have very beautiful gal.
 

Aghh!! It makes me so mad when people are so stupid & cruel!! We get unwanted animals dropped off here all the time. Most of them have been abused & are to afraid to even take food until we go inside. I can't afford to keep most of them so I have to take them to a shelter of some sort. Unless a friend is able to take them. I don't understand how people can be so cruel.
Thank you for taking the time to care for her. You sound like a nice person, so I hope she finds a permanent home with you.
 

you are a good man sir,looks like a great dog too.hope she brings you years of friendship.hopefully she will run in to that person who did this to her and give them a little payback
 

She is a beautiful dog! Name her Faith. Kudos to you & God bless for taking the time & effort to do the right thing!

I just don't get why they didn't drop her at a shelter. They say what goes around comes around...we can hope!
 

Great job! Took a lot of perseverance.
I never heard of a Plott Hound before. I have had Walkers and Black & Tan Hounds.
She looks like my Pitt Bull that is also adopted from Bulldog Rescue, except for the ears.
Frank...
Blue 1212.webp
Blue
 

Frank...you are my new Hero :notworthy: people Who abuse any animal should be shot them selves. well done, I'm sure she will pay you back with many a year of loyalty and love.

SS
 

Bless you for making such a huge effort. It is terrible to think of social animals like dogs left to fend for themselves. I am sure she will repay you tenfold in affection and loyalty for making such a huge effort and giving her the kind of life she deserves.
 

There is a special place for those of us who help our animal friends. And I hope there is a real special place :censored:for those who treat animals like that.
God Bless you.

Our two latest, who let us live in the house with them, were both abused previously. Took some real time to get either to let you pet them. But now it's the other way around, they can't get enough of it. And whoa to the person who tries to get between either of them and my wife. Both weighed in the 50 pound range when we "saved" them, nothing but skin/bones/matted hair. Now the Lab is pushing 100 pounds and the German Shepherd is close to 150. Like living with a pair of horses. And I wouldn't trade em for the world.
 

I want to thank everyone for the "Likes", the comments and especially the praise! I don't think that I did much or any more than most folks would do in the same or similar situation. I am just glad that I did not give up on her! When I first found her on March 30th, she probably did not even weigh in at 40 pounds but now, I believe she is closing in on 60 pounds. The next step is to get the large dog kennel from my sister to put her in and to treat her for the ticks she has acquired while being in the wild and since she has been here. When my' Tax Refund comes in, she will be getting a full checkup and shots from the Veterinarian.

Thanks again and may God bless everyone!


Frank
 

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My buddy Frank.... First off GREAT JOB guy!!!!!! Secondly PM me your phone number or call my house phone as I lost my cell phone 4 days ago (thanks). You did a good thing Frank and I'm proud of ya. As you know my wife and I have rescued a LOT of abandoned and injured dogs. And it feels good to see others do the same. It looks like your going to have a great buddy there Frank. Our last rescue was a female Great Dane. I believe we had her when you were here caving with me or shortly after. She weighed 45lbs. and looked a lot like your hound... except skinner. And anybody who raised their arms or waved them... SET HER OFF!!!! We removed AT LEAST 200-300 ticks from her, got her fixed, all shots, Frontlined, wormed and was very patient. Now she weighs 98lbs., plays with us and show us her "true" personality. She really latched onto my wife... REALLY!!!! If my wife goes to bed early... Harley goes to bed early (in bed). Later when I come in she low growls when I try to move her or squeeze in. Ever try to share your bed with a laid out Great Dane and your wife? Not my idea of a threesome!!!!!!! And it took us 30 days to get close to Ike & Mike (feral dogs). Now they follow me everywhere.

Frank... thanks for doing what you did for this dog. And I don't care what you name your new dog "Lucky". I bet this dog soon will be your best friend. And Frank if I had an extra $20.00 I'd send it to help but I have to wait till the 1st. just to get another cheap LG phone. How about a can of pork-n-beans and some wieners???? But, I'm so glad to hear what you did Frank and best wishes for you and your new friend... give me a call buddy... later, Brad
 

What a wonderful thing you did! I wish everyone was so compassionate! ! I've devoted my life to animals and admire anyone who exhibits such caring..:)

Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk
 

Good Karma for you, i know your good deeds will be rewarded with love and friendship from that dog for the rest of its life.
 

Good man! :notworthy: Plotts were used to hunt or catch free ranging hogs. Often crossed with other dogs for other game. Not saying you should but being gunshy can be slowly worked on by associating a loud sound with a positive experience. Feeding time ,play time ect.. The only reason if not hunting over your new friend is thunderstorms. Natural calming agents exist also.Your having other dogs should be a great help due to pack orientation of the breed.She will relate to the beagles nose and the terriers take on heck with a water pistol hopefully.
One thing for sure is a dog knows who cares for and about it and often repays it.
 

Good job sir. My son used to coon hunt with plots about twenty or so years ago. They are great dogs.
 

hey huntsman got a paypal account,i do not think the mods would mind listing it here.
 

Thanks Brad (Limitool)! It means a lot coming from you, the fellow (along with Bonnie) that has adopted so many orphans, strays and wild dogs sort of like the Red Cross during a war! I got a good chuckle about you trying to get into bed with the wife and the Great Dane. Just be careful who you roll over to to give a kiss. LOL!! You don't need to send me any money but I really appreciate it that you would. I should have my' Tax Refund in a few weeks and will get her a checkup and shots as soon as it comes in. I will call you in a little bit. By the way, besides your' other dogs, how is Mama Dog? She is a great Cave Spelunking companion for you and I hope she is doing well!


Frank
 

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