Heartwarming rescue (Video)

Severe flooding caused an entire community to go into a state of emergency. Residents were forced to evacuate, tragically leaving many animals behind to fend for themselves. Professional football player Brady Oliveira received an alert from one of the paramedics working in the flood-ravaged first nation to let him know about a mom and two pups who were abandoned and left in a home that was completely submerged in water for over 24 hours! Nothing could have prepared Oliveira for the heartbreaking moment when he saw the panic, fear, and complete helplessness in their eyes, Oliveira reported.

Oliveira works with K9 Advocates Manitoba, a non-profit organization that helps First Nation communities manage the overpopulation of stray dogs. It is hard to imagine just how terrified the pups must have been stuck in the house for so many hours! The mother was left outside in the cold on a deck that was almost completely submerged underwater. The closer you got, you started to see (the dog) on the deck, and then the closer you got, you just started hearing her cries and cries and cries, and it was just so heartbreaking knowing that she had nowhere to go. She was surrounded by water,” he said. Her pups were locked inside the house in the bathroom and were covered in their own urine and feces. In one of his most recent video, Oliveira can be seen trudging through the ice-cold water for 30 minutes at some points even up to his mid-thigh, and carrying the pups back to safety the entire time, all while pushing through a mild onset of hypothermia. Paramedics in the area attempted to move the athlete back to land but he and Shai Ross, a receiver for Edmonton Elks who offered a healing hand, wouldn’t stop until all the pups were safe.“Shai is actually pretty allergic to dogs, so he just took a ton of allergy pills before he got in my truck and before we headed out to the community,” Oliveira laughed.

“One of the most emotionally charged rescues that I’ve ever done!”

Once he was made aware of the stranded pets, there was absolutely no way Oliveira was going to stand down and do nothing. “One of the most emotionally charged rescues that I’ve ever done!” said Oliveira. Together, Oliveira and Ross carried back the mother dog and her two pups and drove them to Winnipeg. According to Oliveira, their owner surrendered them to K9 Advocates Manitoba. The pups are currently being fostered. “Never leave your animal behind and if you really have to, then contact a local animal rescue! These animals deserve better than this!” Oliveira added. Watch the video, it’s a heartwarming rescue.