Neighbor Follows Blood Trails in Yard—Then Immediately Calls Animal Shelter
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
When staff at Stray Rescue of St. Louis, Missouri, picked up the phone, they were bracing for another routine call. They quickly learned that a dog had been spotted wandering through a yard, after their rescuer had stumbled upon a trail of blood.
Now, after surviving a brutal case of canine parvovirus, the 1-year-old dog—named Ricky Darryl—is thriving in the care of the shelter, and he is looking for his forever home.
"Ricky Darryl is doing great now," Natalie Thomson, chief communications officer at Stray Rescue of St. Louis, told Newsweek. "He loves dogs, kids, all adults; he loves to play and to cuddle.
"He's such a happy boy. We are so proud of him!" Thomson added.
A call came in that a dog was wandering around their yard…and they found a blood trail. We hopped in the car thinking it was probably a mama dog needing...
The rescue group, a nonprofit devoted to helping the "abandoned, beaten, bred, fought, injured, terrified, defeated and betrayed," rushed to the scene immediately after receiving the concerning call.
In a short video later shared to the organization's Facebook page, viewers were able to see the young dog shuffling slowly through the grass before being gently greeted by a rescuer.
"A call came in that a dog was wandering around their yard … And they found a blood trail," a text accompanying the video read. "We hopped in the car thinking it was probably a mama dog needing help.
"But when we arrived and saw this adorable 1-year-old male puppy, we knew it was parvo," the text added.
The St. Louis yard is seen where the stray dog was spotted and later rescued.
The St. Louis yard is seen where the stray dog was spotted and later rescued.
Stray Rescue of St. Louis
The post, shared on June 10, has since garnered almost 8,000 reactions and an outpouring of support. For many viewers, it was not just the sight of the emaciated dog but the grim evidence of his suffering that broke their hearts.
Parvovirus is highly contagious and can be dangerous without swift treatment. Ricky Darryl had all the telltale signs: a dangerously high fever of 107 degrees Fahrenheit, pale gums, extreme lethargy, and near-total exhaustion.
The dog's condition was so severe that he was immediately admitted to an emergency veterinary clinic, where he remained for two days before being transferred to the shelter's isolated parvo ward for several weeks. "This survivor fought for his life," the post continued.
Over the following weeks, Ricky gradually regained strength. The same dog who once could barely walk now bounds across the shelter yard with joyful energy. His recovery has become a beacon of hope for the rescue's community and a compelling plea for awareness about canine vaccination.
"Vaccinating your puppies—AND older dogs—is very, very important," the organization added in its post.
Ricky Darryl, the rescue dog, is held up by one of his rescuers outside.
Ricky Darryl, the rescue dog, is held up by one of his rescuers outside.
Stray Rescue of St. Louis
Today, Ricky Darryl is not just healthy—he is thriving. Shelter staff describe him as affectionate, outgoing, and eager to play. He adores children, gets along well with other dogs, and soaks up every bit of human attention he can find.
As the post said: "He's officially ready for his forever family."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
6 hours ago
- Newsweek
Owners Convinced Dog at the End, Can't Believe What $400 Vet Visit Reveals
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. When a dog took a health turn, or so the owners thought, they believed he was nearing the end of his days, but what a vet visit revealed left them with egg on their faces. The dachshund owners had themselves convinced that their small dog, Whiskey, was sick and "about to cross the rainbow bridge," the text on a June 1 Instagram video by user @ read. As any pet parent would do, they rushed to get answers. They placed him in his doggy bed in the car, making their way to the emergency vet, hopeful for a positive outcome. They were in luck—no crossing the Rainbow Bridge—but the answer was not what they expected. Whiskey's diagnosis was that he "needed to do a big poop." Constipation in dogs is a common occurrence, which can sometimes cause dogs to become lethargic, bloated and experience extreme discomfort, a Hill's Pet article stated. While a dog conducting their business one or two times less than normal is not a cause for concern, any signs of strain or not eating are signs to visit your vet. A vet visit will reveal potential causes of constipation, including ingestion of foreign material, dehydration, hernias, tumors, side effects of medication or orthopedic and neurological conditions. The good news for these owners was that it wasn't the end of the line for Whiskey; however, the visit came with a hefty price tag. They received a $400 vet bill only to discover Whiskey needed to go to the bathroom. Newsweek reached out to @ via Instagram for additional information and comment. Viewer Reactions The Instagram clip reached over 647,000 views and 45,900 likes as of Friday. While the bill might have been a headache for the owners, people reminded them it was "better safe than sorry" and thought the bill wasn't as bad as it could've been. "That was me this morning," joked one user, while another asked: "I mean have you ever had to poop so bad you thought YOU were gonna cross the rainbow bridge?" Understanding the owners' pain, someone added: "Literally happened to my Doxie last month, except $800 because I did blood work and X-rays too." A fourth wrote: "They are such drama queens! When mine has a belly ache or cramp, it's like he's very sick!!" Screenshots from a June 1 Instagram video of owners rushing their dachshund to the vet after thinking he was nearing the end. Screenshots from a June 1 Instagram video of owners rushing their dachshund to the vet after thinking he was nearing the end. @ Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Father, 39, Has 1 Minor Symptom. Then He's Given 2 Years to Live After 'Devastating' Diagnosis
A Florida man's muscle spasms seemed harmless at first, but eventually progressed and led to a devastating diagnosis Andres Albaladejo was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2023 His wife Carmen has become his primary caretaker at home and has been documenting the family's journey on TikTokWhen a Florida man first noticed muscle spasms in one of his arms, he wasn't immediately concerned that it could be a symptom of something more serious. Andres Albaladejo, 41, and his wife Carmen told the Daily Mail that they first noticed the twitching in his left arm around April 2023. 'It was bizarre. I asked if he could feel it, if he was doing anything to make it twitch, but he said no,' she said. The spasms progressed for Albaladejo and he soon experienced arm weakness, difficulty gripping things, and high blood pressure, Newsweek reported. Within months, doctors diagnosed him with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, a condition that causes progressive loss of muscle control. 'I was heartbroken when I heard the news, like my life was being taken from me piece by piece – I still have so much of me to give,' he told DM. "Hearing the diagnosis was devastating, we were in complete shock,' Carmen said to Newsweek. 'Sitting in that doctor's office, the weight of it all hit us at once. We broke down in tears. It was one of the hardest moments of our lives, filled with fear, sorrow, and so many unanswered questions.' ALS symptoms can include difficulty walking, tripping, and slurred speech, among others, and it often first appears in the hands, feet, arms, or legs, according to the Mayo Clinic. There is no cure, but medical treatment can slow the disease's progress. Life changed in an instant for Albaladejo, who used to work as a school resource officer, and he worried about his family's future, including his 11-year-old daughter Sophia. He was 39 years old when he received the diagnosis in late 2023, according to Newsweek. 'I'm angry that I won't be here to see my little girl grow into the smart, kind, and beautiful woman I know she will be. I think that hurts the most,' Albaladejo said. 'Instead, she has to watch me fall apart in front of her eyes.' But he wants to leave a legacy she can be proud of. 'I just hope that throughout all of this, my daughter still sees me as her hero, as I face this disease with determination and strength,' he added. Daily life in Tampa has shifted drastically for the couple, who started dating when they were teenagers. 'In eight months, our lives completely changed. We thought it was nerve compression, and now Albaladejo has a terminal illness with a prognosis of two to five years,' Carmen told the Daily Mail. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Per Newsweek, Albaladejo relies on a wheelchair to get around and Carmen has become her husband's primary caregiver. "To see someone go from being completely independent to nearly fully dependent in under two years is truly heartbreaking," she told Newsweek. Carmen has been documenting the family's journey on TikTok and Albaladejo's sister started a GoFundMe that has already raised more than $26,000. 'It's a cruel condition that robs a person of their vitality, strength and mobility,' Carmen wrote online in 2024. 'It's been a rough year for us and even through it all, we still do what we can to just live life every day.' Although there's no cure, the Albaladejo family is pressing forward as best they can. 'At this point, we are getting our affairs in order, as we cannot see any promising treatments we can afford,' Carmen told the Daily Mail. 'We are trying to stay strong and make the best out of our situation.' Read the original article on People
Newsweek
9 hours ago
- Newsweek
Gavin Newsom Reacts to Donald Trump's 'Unprecedented' Medicaid Move
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has expressed concern for the privacy of immigrants in his state, following reports that the Trump administration has shared Medicaid data with immigration officials. An internal memo and emails obtained by the Associated Press showed that Medicaid officials unsuccessfully sought to block the data transfer, citing legal and ethical concerns. Nevertheless, two top advisers to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the dataset handed over to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the emails show. Officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) were given just 54 minutes on Tuesday to comply with the directive. "We deeply value the privacy of all Californians," Newsom's office told Newsweek in a statement. "This action by the federal government has implications for every person on Medicaid, but it is especially alarming for our immigrants and American mixed-status families who are already under relentless, indiscriminate attack by this administration. The federal government continues to instill fear across this nation and shroud its continued violation of Americans' privacy rights in propaganda." Newsweek reached out to DHS and the Department for Health and Human Services for comment via email and contact form Friday afternoon. California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks after U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer granted an emergency temporary restraining order to stop President Donald Trump's deployment of the California National Guard, on June 12, 2025, at the California... California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks after U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer granted an emergency temporary restraining order to stop President Donald Trump's deployment of the California National Guard, on June 12, 2025, at the California State Supreme Court building in San Francisco. More Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP Why It Matters Reports of increased data sharing between federal agencies for the purpose of immigration enforcement have caused concerns for several weeks. The Trump administration has said the data is vital in finding illegal immigrants who should be deported. What To Know The dataset included the information of people living in California, Illinois, Washington state and Washington, D.C., all of which allow non-U.S. citizens to enroll in Medicaid programs that pay for their expenses using only state taxpayer dollars. CMS transferred the information just as the Trump administration was ramping up its enforcement efforts in Southern California. Newsom's office said it was concerned about how deportation officials might utilize the data, especially as federal authorities conduct immigration raids with the assistance of National Guard troops and Marines in Los Angeles. Besides helping authorities locate migrants, experts said, the government could also use the information to scuttle the hopes of migrants seeking green cards, permanent residency or citizenship if they had ever obtained Medicaid benefits funded by the federal government. CMS announced late last month that it was reviewing some states' Medicaid enrollees to ensure federal funds have not been used to pay for coverage for people with "unsatisfactory immigration status." In a letter sent to state Medicaid officials, CMS said that the effort was part of Trump's February 19 executive order titled "Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders." As part of the review, California, Washington and Illinois shared details about non-U.S. citizens who have enrolled in their state's Medicaid program, according to a June 6 memo signed by Medicaid Deputy Director Sara Vitolo that was obtained by AP. The memo was written by several CMS officials under Vitolo's supervision, according to sources familiar with the process. The data includes addresses, names, Social Security numbers and claims data for enrollees in those states, according to the memo and two people familiar with what the states sent to CMS. Both people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share details about the data exchange. CMS officials attempted to fight the data sharing request from Homeland Security, saying that complying would violate federal laws, including the Social Security Act and the Privacy Act of 1974, according to Vitolo's memo. "Multiple federal statutory and regulatory authorities do not permit CMS to share this information with entities outside of CMS," Vitolo wrote, further explaining that the sharing of such personal data is allowed only for directly administering the Medicaid program. Sharing information about Medicaid applicants or enrollees with DHS officials would violate a "longstanding policy," wrote Vitolo, a career employee, to Trump appointee Kim Brandt, deputy administrator and chief operating officer of CMS. The legal arguments outlined in the memo were not persuasive to Trump appointees at HHS, which oversees Medicaid. Four days after the memo was sent, on June 10, HHS officials directed the transfer of "the data to DHS by 5:30 ET today," according to email exchanges obtained by AP. Former government officials said the move was unusual because CMS, which has access to personal health data for nearly half of the country, does not typically share such sensitive information with other departments. "DHS has no role in anything related to Medicaid," said Jeffrey Grant, a former career employee at CMS. Beyond her legal arguments, Vitolo said sharing the information with DHS could have a chilling effect on states, perhaps prompting them to withhold information. States, she added, needed to guard against the "legal risk" they were taking by giving federal officials data that could be shared with deportation officials. A 'Concerning' Development All states must legally provide emergency Medicaid services to non-U.S. citizens, including to those who are lawfully present but have not yet met a five-year wait to apply for Medicaid. Seven states, along with the District of Columbia, allow immigrants who are not living legally in the country to enroll—with full benefits—in their state's Medicaid program. The states launched these programs during the Biden administration and said they would not bill the federal government to cover those immigrants' health care costs. The Trump administration has raised doubts about that pledge. Nixon said that the state's Medicaid programs for immigrants "opened the floodgates for illegal immigrants to exploit Medicaid—and forced hard-working Americans to foot the bill." All of the states—California, New York, Washington, Oregon, Illinois, Minnesota and Colorado—have Democratic governors. As a result of his state's budget woes, Newsom announced earlier this year that he would freeze enrollment in the program. Illinois will shut down its program for roughly 30,000 non-U.S. citizens in July. The remaining states have not yet submitted the identifiable data to CMS as part of the review, according to a public health official who has reviewed CMS' requests to the states. What People Are Saying U.S. Health and Human Services spokesman Andrew Nixon told AP that the data sharing was legal: "With respect to the recent data sharing between CMS and DHS, HHS acted entirely within its legal authority—and in full compliance with all applicable laws—to ensure that Medicaid benefits are reserved for individuals who are lawfully entitled to receive them." California Governor Gavin Newsom's office, in a statement sent to Newsweek: "Sharing Medicaid beneficiary information with the Department of Homeland Security—which is itself legally dubious—will jeopardize the safety, health, and security of those who will undoubtedly be targeted by this abuse, and Americans more broadly. "Federal law requires emergency care to be provided to all to save lives, and the federal government helps pay for it for low-income individuals, regardless of immigration status. Every state should be concerned about this data sharing and its implications for the safety and health of its communities. We will continue to vigorously defend Californians' privacy rights and explore all avenues to protect their information and safety." What Happens Next Republicans in Congress are continuing to look to limit undocumented immigrants from accessing federal programs while continuing to scrutinize whether sanctuary jurisdictions allow them to receive benefits. This article contains reporting by The Associated Press.
