Marine Veteran Rescues An Abandoned Puppy And Nothing Was The Same After That
It was just another average Tuesday for Tegan Griffith. Griffith was on her regular commute to work and although she had driven down the same road plenty of times, something about this particular morning felt odd. Griffith's intuition didn't fail her once she found an abandoned puppy on the side of the road. This is the story of Larry with the Pink Collar and how he changed the life of one unsuspecting cat lover.
A Wisconsin Native
Sergeant Tegan Griffith joined the Marine Corps when she was 21. A veteran who served in Iraq supporting a Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron, Griffith returned to her native Wisconsin after four years in the military. She set out to earn her college degree and graduate from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point.
She wasn't far from where she grew up in the rural northern part of the state, so she was very familiar with the lay of the land.
Something Felt Out Of Place
One day, Griffith was on her way to work in northern Wisconsin when she couldn't help but feel like something was off. The route she took to work every day was one that she knew well.
"We live in a rural part of the state. This is a road I take twice a day on my way to/from work. I know the branches and rocks and dead deer but something looked out of place," she wrote on Twitter.
Hiding In A Ditch
Griffith proceeded with caution but as soon as she saw movement in one of the branches, she immediately hit her brakes. Griffith got out of her car to check out the scene and almost couldn't believe what she saw.
There, abandoned in the ditch of a snow bank, was a lone puppy left to fend for itself. Griffith did what most people would do and tried to get it to follow her, with the intention of bringing the pup to a shelter.
He Was Starving
Griffith nearly scared the puppy away but when she dug around her lunchbox to give it something to eat, he finally got close to her.
"It ran away from me at first. I went to find a snack in my lunchbox and it had snuck up behind me. All I had that would interest this little lover was a @SargentoCheese Balanced Breaks – the white cheddar/nuts/cranberry one. It was either that or salad," she wrote on Twitter.
The Cat Person Didn't Know What To Do
Griffith decided to take the puppy with her on her way to work, where she decided to gather her things to work from home so she could figure out to do with him.
"I'm a cat person and it's been a long time since I've been around a puppy. I didn't know what to do so I tucked him in my vest and took him in to get my laptop and other items," Griffith wrote.
He Was One Out Of Four
Griffith then made it her mission to put the puppy into the right hands. She started by calling her local city police, who then directed her to the Sheriff. The Sheriff told her to call the Humane Society.
The Humane Society called her back and said, "Oh! You found NUMBER FOUR!" Griffith was taken aback by what they said. This was to say that there were more puppies who'd been abandoned like the one she found.
They Were Dumped On The Road
Griffith then found out how the puppy, which she proceeded to name Larry, came to be in the woods by himself.
"It turns out little Larry (center) has three sisters! A very bad person (VBP) dumped them in a rural, wooded area not far from our home. His sisters were dropped off yesterday by an acquaintance of the VBP. Which means Larry stayed out overnight, alone... In Northern Wisconsin," Griffith wrote on Twitter.
Reunited With His Sisters
Griffith brought Larry to the shelter where his sisters were. When they arrived, Larry's sisters swarmed around him in excitement. It's a wonder why his sisters were brought to the shelter while Larry was not.
Perhaps Larry ran off as the acquaintance who picked the puppies up arrived. Larry is lucky to have fared well in the cold wilderness that night without his sisters to help keep him warm.
Larry Was The Runt
There's no saying what Larry might've endured while he was alone, so the first thing the shelter did was check his vitals. He turned out to be the runt out of his litter.
"Do you know how hard it is to weigh puppies?! Larry (in pink) weighed in at 10 pounds and is the runt of the litter thus far. I really hope there aren't more wandering puppers in the woods," Griffith wrote on Twitter.
The Decision To Adopt
"We're going to adopt Larry with the Pink Collar," Griffith finally announced. "He is at the shelter with his siblings until Friday. The veterinarian wants to treat them all for worms, dehydration and give them all a well puppy exam with shots."
It's no surprise that Griffith ended up deciding to adopt Larry. She showed considerable concern for the pup despite the fact that she is a self-professed cat person.
Larry Captured Hearts Across The World
Griffith ended her saga by saying, "Larry with the Pink Collar will be a wonderful addition to our home and I hope this little 'tail' about *my* day brought some good into *your* day." Indeed, Griffith's Twitter thread about Larry brought good into a lot of people's days.
Within 48 hours, Griffith's post was seen 4.6 million times by Internet users all over the world. The story spread quickly as it was retweeted 13,000 times.
Larry And His Sisters Were Sick
Of course, Griffith caught on to how popular Larry's story had become so she decided to update his fans. He turned out to be quite malnourished and had worms in his stomach.
"Larry Update! He went to the veterinarian today w/ his sisters. They are being treated for malnourishment, dehydration and parasites in their little bellies. Lots of shots, stool samples and rest for them in the coming days. Here's a Larry snoot for following along with us," Griffith wrote on Twitter.
Larry Wasn't The Only One
It was almost time for Larry to go to his forever home. He had already been there when Griffith first found him, so Larry did have the chance to meet his new roommates.
"Here's Larry and my oldest, King Leonidas of Sparta. I adopted King 10 years ago from the Oceanside HS when I was in the Marine Corps. He was cautious but there was no hissing or bad behavior – just lots of puppy excitement," Griffith wrote.
They Were In And Out Of The Vet
Griffith could hardly wait until the day that Larry was able to come home. One thing was for sure, Larry and his sisters were tired of seeing the vet but they had to keep returning because of what was going on in their stomachs. At the very least, they were healing.
"They had X-rays because one of them passed a penny! No signs of fleas, adult parasites or money. Just lots of gas and kibble!" Griffith wrote.
"Larry Is HOME!"
Finally, the day arrived! Larry was well enough to start living at his forever home with Griffith and his new feline roomies. Griffith brought Larry's new favorite raccoon toy to welcome him and Larry and his sisters played with it as a last goodbye.
On the way home, Griffith drove down the same road that she found Larry on just in case she might've seen any more abandoned pups. Thankfully, there weren't any in sight.
A Good Night's Sleep
Griffith got to witness Larry's transition into adopted life now that he had a warm place to sleep every night. The first night, of course, was a rough one for him but at least he slept soundly.
"Larry's 1st night is in the books!" Griffith wrote. "He had a case of explosive poop and piddled a few times. We caved and camped out with him in the living room. He slept all night until 7 a.m.!!"
Bonding Over A Boop
After a few more veterinarian visits for his tummy issues, it wasn't long until Larry was adjusting well into his new life. For sure, there was a lot of naps with delightful puppy dreams, as Larry probably didn't have good rest while he was out in the streets.
Even Larry's new roommates were starting to warm up to him. Griffith's heart melted when she witnessed King Leonidas of Sparta and Larry share nose-to-nose contact.
His New Siblings Warmed Up To Him
In addition to King, Larry was also going to be roommates with Griffith's other cat, Queen Gorgo of Sparta. Queen has a pretty sad origin story, similar to Larry's.
"I adopted Queen Gorgo of Sparta after her kittens were gone; she was shaved, spayed, alone and sad. She lived on the streets her whole life before me. She's a gorgeous rag doll and the mother of the house. She finally snuggled with Larry and now MY eyes are misty," Griffith wrote.
Larry Helped Give Back To The Shelter
This viral adoption story not only changed Larry's life, but it was also beneficial to the shelter that took care of him before he was able to go home. Griffith encouraged Larry's fans to donate to the Forest Humane Society in Crandon, Wisconsin.
Within a matter of days, not only did they receive tons of donations in pet supplies, but they also received over $12,000! Someone from Vermont even showed interest in adopting one of Larry's sisters.
A Never-Ending Happily Ever After
Larry is now living out his happy ending with his new dog mom, Tegan Griffith. Since his story has made headlines, Larry has been spending time with his new family and getting to know other dogs that he's met along the way.
Not only does he have a consistent food supply and endless amount of love, he's free to live out his days playing with his cat siblings and chewing on all the sticks his heart desires.
