A man driving by an interstate overpass in Missouri rescued a dog whose neck had been tied with an electrical cord and was on the verge of death.
“I saw what looked like a dog that was being hung over the side of some sort of power box. The cord was definitely strangling him. His feet were touching the ground, but they were barely touching the ground. He was trying to whip his head left and right but could barely move it,” Fredman told the Fox affiliate.
The 16-year-old mixed breed was being tortured so horrifically that Fredman said he could hardly believe what he was seeing.
“The way I found him, I just couldn’t believe somebody would do that to an animal at all,” he told WDAF-TV.
Fredman called the police then rushed toward the dog with his knife. “As soon as I cut him down, he couldn’t breathe. He was trying to breathe. I tried to get him to walk. He couldn’t walk,” he said.
Fredman took the dog to KC Pet Project who found out that he was a missing pet named Max and that his owner had been looking for him for several hours. The dog was microchipped and had gone missing about a mile away from his home.
KC Pet Project told The Epoch Times in an email that Max received vaccinations while in their care, but did not need any other exams or treatments.
The animal shelter shared about the incident on its Facebook page: “Yesterday morning, a good samaritan named David brought Max, the 16-year-old Shepherd mix to our shelter,” KC Pet Project wrote on the social media site.
“He was back home within hours with his family, who is working hard to find how Max was taken and how he ended up hanging from that box. Thanks to the quick actions by David and the power of a microchip, we were able to get Max back home safely to his family,” wrote KC Pet Project.
The animal shelter added that Max was found in an area frequented by homeless people.
Max was reunited with his owner, Dee Vaughn, who was horrified when he learned how his dog was found. Vaughn said he was grateful to Fredman for rescuing Max and invited him to his house later that day. Both men said they wondered how Max ended up in that horrifying situation.
KC Pet Project said on Facebook that Max’s owners are now trying to find out how this happened. “We spoke with the owners yesterday and today and they’re so thrilled to have their dog back and are doing everything they can to find out who did this to their dog,” the animal shelter wrote in response to a comment on the Facebook post.
Also on social media, people expressed gratitude to Fredman for his efforts in saving the dog from a gruesome death.
“David, you are a saint on earth. You have made my day by your kindness and compassion for this helpless and innocent creature. You stopped to help when most others didn’t. You are an amazing soul and you will have your reward from our Creator someday. Thank you,” wrote one man on Facebook.
