Baby Otter Rescued by Pet Dog In Minnesota Will Make You Smile
If you're looking for a story that will make you smile, how about a dog that just rescued a baby otter from a river here in Minnesota?
Talk about a Land of 10,000 Lakes feel-good story: It has pets, baby animals, a daring water rescue, and it has comes complete with a happy ending, too. As Fox-9's Mary McGuire reported (and shout-out to Mary, who once worked here in Rochester at Fox-47!) Saturday, this is the story of Gus, the six-year-old Goldendoodle.
Gus happened to note something swimming in the St. Croix River near his parent's house in St. Marys Point, Minnesota (just north of Afton, about an hour and a half northeast of Rochester) on Easter Sunday.
As it turns out, it turned out to be a tiny, baby river otter, which Gus carefully rescued and brought to the shore. His parents then contacted the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota (WRCMN), where they brought the little otter. Here's how the WRCMN described the event on their Facebook page:
The otter is much too young to be in the water - it should still be in the den with its mom. Having no idea where the den is, how far the little guy traveled, the otter has been admitted for rehabilitation. We were quite concerned the first 36 hours - he was cold to the touch at admit and we didn't know if he'd aspirated water, which could result in pneumonia. The otter turned the corner the other day and is doing well.
But as Mary's story continues, the little guy did so well, that he was recently transferred to another wildlife rehabilitation center with the specific tools needed to raise a little pup. As for Gus, he's enjoying a lot of pets and a lot of treats. (And definitely is the answer to the question, 'Who's a good boy?' right?)
And, as miraculous as this story is, it's even MORE incredible that Gus did all this on just three legs-- as he's been battling cancer and just had one of his legs amputated in February! Well done, Gus!
Taking that little otter to a rehab center was the best thing that could have happened to him. The Minnesota DNR says river otters are becoming more and more common across the North Star State these days. And even though there are more of them, they're not recommended as pets. But did you know there are several animals that are illegal to keep as pets here? Keep scrolling to check them out!
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