Veterinarian Rescues Stray Dog—During A Triathlon
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Even during a triathlon, North Carolina veterinarian is an animal-lover first.
Dan Bedard was in the last leg of the Kerr Lake Triathlon in Henderson, N.C., Sunday when a puppy walked out of the woods onto the gravel road.
“He was ghastly thin,” said Bedard, who lives in Cary, N.C.
His heart dropped. The dog looked like it was in trouble. Bedard kept running and told the park ranger about the dog when he finished the race.
“I asked if they could have animal control take care of it,” Bedard said.
As he walked to his car, Bedard heard a familiar howl. That’s when he saw the skinny, red hound dog in the back of a sports utility vehicle. Shortly after, he ran into the owner of the vehicle, Ann Brady. She also participated in the triathlon.
Brady, a veterinarian at Mebane Veterinary Hospital for the past 11 years, was in the first mile of the six-mile run when she also encountered the needy puppy.
“He was peeking out of the woods at the people,” Brady said. “He looked liked he really needed some help.”
Brady had some sports gel — a carbohydrate replacement gel that athletes use during long races — with her, and she used it to lure the dog to her. Once she caught him, she went back a mile to where her husband was waiting and handed the dog off to him. Then she finished the race.
“If I saw him driving by in a car, I wouldn’t drive past him,” said Brady, who eventually took the puppy she’s calling “Sport” back to her veterinary practice. “I couldn’t see running past him.”
In fact, the puppy wasn’t the only thing she encountered during the race that needed some help. During the bike leg, she encountered a turtle on its back in the middle of the road.
“I put her back in the woods right side up,” she said with a laugh. “It was a big day for me.”
Read more: The Times News