Username:
Ardra
Name:
Rusty
Gender:
Male
How he lost his tail:
Rusty had always been a dog on the run, so to speak, traveling from farm to farm in search of food and shelter as a homeless dog will do. Despite the lack of socialization, he was always friendly to the people who showed him kindness, and even those who showed little to no kindness for him. Those who didn't show him kindness he knew to be wary of, however, and it wasn't normally an issue for he knew which places to avoid for he had no desire to have things thrown at him.
One day Rusty was walking along a new stretch of territory he hadn't yet discovered, and the smell of dogs was stale, meaning this was free roaming territory. All of a sudden as he was trotting joyfully along the dirt road, rust-coloured fur darker than usual due to dirt, but eyes gleaming with happiness, a car came speeding, and swerving down the road. He tried to get away as the red pick up truck came barreling at him, the rowdy, drunk males in the cab and the truck bed making hooting and hollering noises at him, the guns they were holding in shooting position for birds aimed right at him. When they saw the male husky their noises became louder, causing Rusty to cringe, the fur on his pelt rising, making his skinny frame look bigger than normal, yellowing teeth bared at the truck and its occupants.
A shot rang out through the air, and instant, searing pain shot through Rusty, located at his tail, causing the male dog to yelp in pain. Now the noises from the young, drunk boys became that of panic as they sped up their truck again attempting to flee the scene. They knew they wouldnt get in trouble somewhere in their clouded judgement from the alcohol but they were still in a hurry to leave, knowing the owners from the nearby farmhouse would be rushing out soon, as they had been in the field working.
When they got there, the poor animal was in quite a bit of pain, whimpering and trying to lick the wound clean. The farm owner scooped up Rusty, and with the help of his farmhand, they carried Rusty back to their ranch house and called the vet. Giving Rusty a clear bill of health and saying the wound would heal, he left the family with some medicine and a promise that he'd be back in a few days to check on the mutt.
As the days passed, Rusty began to slowly grow worse, as his tail would had gotten an infection, and the vet had to be called again. This time, however, the vet knew that it was either let the pup die, or amputate. The farm owner offered up the payment, and the surgery was completed without any issues. Rusty stayed with the family up until his now stubby tail was fully healed, and then he was on his way again patrolling the rural area as he had before.