JAMESTOWN, N.D. - As freezing rain and snow fell and road conditions worsened by the hour, Shelby, a 6-year-old bulldog mix, lay frozen to a road near Pipestem Reservoir.
Levi Harrington and his friend Jordan Stutsman were alerted to the dog after Levi's father, a blade operator, spotted it on the same road for two days.
After circling the road on Jan. 22, searching with his truck's headlights, Harrington spotted "a clump of snow," and found Shelby covered with ice and stuck to the gravel, lying on her left hind leg.
Harrington and Stutsman warmed the dog's icy underbelly with their hands until Harrington was able to lift the
87-pound canine into his truck.
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Once back at his shop he started to phone friends until he reached Whitney John, daughter of Prairie Paws Rescue co-founder Kaye John.
Prairie Paws helps animals in need by providing them with care, food and foster homes until they can find permanent owners. John and fellow Prairie Paws co-founder Becky Johnson found a foster home for Shelby.
Shelby was treated for frostbite on Monday but the extent of her injuries were not yet fully known, Johnson said.
By looking at Shelby's right-rear leg, Johnson was able to see that the dog recently had surgery. After checking with area veterinarians, she found an ID for the dog and an old owner who had to give her away when she moved to California, Johnson said.
The old owner also gave the name of the person to whom she gave Shelby. Johnson would not provide the person's name.
Harrington said he believes Shelby was intentionally left outside because the road she was found on is so remote and unused. Johnson said there is no proof the dog was abandoned.
"You want to give them (animals) the same respect you'd give a person because they bring comfort in so many ways," Johnson said.
The old owner was moved to tears about the status of her dog and sent someone to pick Shelby up and bring her to California, Johnson said.
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"She hopefully won't have to worry about frostbite again," John said.
