We are equally relieved and blessed that there are animal-loving folks out there who are willing to devote their time and energy to saving dogs in need. Who knows what would happen to these poor creatures if it wasn’t for these kind-hearted individuals? On a dark, dreary October morning, Donna Lochmann, the chief life-saving officer at Stray Rescue of St. Louis (SRSL), responded to a call about a stray dog in need of help. As she searched the streets of Missouri, her attention was drawn to a flicker of movement on a nearby pile of trash.
“I saw something moving out of the corner of my eye,” Lochmann recalled on SRSL’s website. “I hit the brakes in the Jeep to get a closer look at the huge mound of trash.” She thought she’d seen a dog, but as she approached, the pile seemed lifeless. Just as she was about to give up, her eyes caught sight of a small, curled-up figure hidden between the garbage bags.
“There he was,” Lochmann wrote. “A dog, huddled in a tight ball, his dark coat blending in with the trash around him.” She was taken aback by his appearance and even more so by his behavior. As she cautiously approached, expecting him to flee, he remained motionless, too exhausted and brokenhearted to even raise his head.
“He didn’t get up or try to run,” Lochmann explained. “He just lay there, barely lifting his head as I got closer. His hollow, lonely eyes stared back at me.” The dog was painfully thin, his ribcage protruding from months of neglect, and his eyes revealed a deep sense of hopelessness.
“He had that look in his eyes that said he had completely given up,” Lochmann continued. “He laid his head back down, as if expecting me to walk away like everyone else had before.” But Lochmann wasn’t about to abandon him. She gently slipped a leash over his head, but the dog remained still, too weak to move.
Determined to help, Lochmann carefully scooped him up, speaking softly and reassuringly to him. “I carried him back to the Jeep and laid down blankets for him. He curled up just as he had on the trash heap, but this time he had a soft bed to rest on.”
As they drove to SRSL headquarters, Lochmann felt a deep connection with the pup and decided to name him Kismet, which means “Fate.” “I couldn’t believe I stumbled upon him on that dark, gray morning,” she wrote. “He would have been so easy to miss.”
Upon arrival, the SRSL team welcomed Kismet with open arms, immediately setting up a treatment plan to help him regain his strength and weight. They gave him his first real bed and surrounded him with love while searching for a suitable foster home.
Just a few days later, Kismet moved into foster care, where he was greeted by his loving foster mom, Nikki. She followed his treatment plan closely, adding extra kisses for good measure, and soon Kismet began to thrive.
“He’s doing wonderfully,” Nikki shared in an update. “He’s gaining weight, wagging his tail, and loves giving kisses. He sleeps on any soft surface he can find.”
It wasn’t long before Kismet stole Nikki’s heart, and she knew he was meant to stay. “His foster mom nursed him back to health and fell in love with him,” SRSL wrote. “It turns out his foster home was his forever home all along.”
Now, over five years since his adoption, Kismet is an entirely different dog. Once emaciated and downtrodden, he is now a healthy, joyful companion who lights up every room he enters. Nikki is overjoyed to have him as part of her family, saying, “He sleeps in the big bed with her. He’s a happy, healthy boy with sparkling eyes.”
Shortly after being released, he became overcome by rage and frustration and began violently wailing on his poor, trembling, frightened dog. It's clear that this man's violent tendencies didn't decrease after serving his time.
For SRSL, Kismet is more than just another rescue story—he’s a symbol of hope and resilience. “In my eyes, he was never trash,” Lochmann wrote. “He was a beautiful soul who deserved a life of comfort and love.” To see Kismet’s rescue, click the video below.
Toledo, United States.
