In the thick of a 2018 snowstorm, Donna Lochmann, chief life-saving officer for Stray Rescue of St. Louis (SRSL), was scanning the city’s icy streets when she noticed something strange beneath a white van — a lump of gray fur barely moving.
At first, Lochmann couldn’t tell what she was looking at. “His hair was so long, you could barely tell which side was his face,” she recalled. “You could kind of see his nose.”
What she’d found was a severely matted dog, soaking wet and nearly frozen. His dense fur had become so tangled and heavy that it had frozen to the pavement beneath him.
“He was literally frozen to the ground,” SRSL shared on Facebook.
Without hesitation, Lochmann climbed under the van, gently slipped a leash over the dog’s neck, and began coaxing him out, speaking softly to comfort him.
“He screamed …” the rescue wrote. “But with skill and patience, Donna got him safely into the warm Jeep.”
Back at the SRSL shelter, the dog — now named Pilgrim — was wrapped in blankets as the medical team prepared to assess him.
But first, they had to deal with his thick, matted coat, which made a full exam impossible.
“It’s a real process when it’s that knotted up, trying to get it off,” Lochmann said.
Carefully, the team used electric clippers to shave away nearly six pounds of fur, revealing a much smaller pup underneath.
Once freed from his frozen, leaf-covered cocoon, Pilgrim could finally rest — but his ordeal wasn’t over.
X-rays revealed a fractured pelvis, likely from an accident during his time on the streets. Pilgrim underwent surgery and, remarkably, made a full recovery in just three weeks.
With his pain behind him and his spirit revived, Pilgrim moved into a foster home with a couple named Taylor and Joe. It didn’t take long for the once-abandoned pup to completely capture their hearts.
“Pilgrim fits in so perfectly with our family,” they said in a letter to SRSL. “So we decided to foster fail. He’s a very happy boy.”
Now renamed Oscar, he’s been living a joyful life with his forever family for over four years. The dog who was once frozen to the ground is now a beloved companion, warm, safe, and adored every day.
“He’s living a good, comfortable life and brings joy to his family every single day,” SRSL wrote. “[We] love this!”
To support rescues like Oscar's, you can donate to Stray Rescue of St. Louis here.
