Maryeileen Flanagan lived in Hidden Valley, Arizona with a 10-acre horse ranch where people, unfortunately, loved to dump their dogs. The situation had been so rampant that the residents even ran a Facebook page to catch the offenders in the act. But the even more alarming issue that came with the abandonment was that it also fed the pack of feral dogs who had been chasing local livestock.
That was why when Maryeileen saw this one stray dog, she thought it was part of the pack of feral dogs. But she quickly discovered that this was not the case.
She was shy and she kept following women at a distance. They named her Reba for her auburn-colored coat and while they coaxed her into the fenced yard, Reba refused to go in. So, they did what they could really do best for her at the time, they left food and water for her then called Animal Control.
Unfortunately, Animal Control couldn’t catch her as well. She was so smart that she stealthily maneuvered over all their traps. And after some time, Reba finally realized that Maryeileen and all the other humans were just trying to help her. She then started to come up closer to them and sniff them but she still wouldn’t let anyone touch her.
And thanks to a piece of some good steak, they were finally able to capture her. Upon realizing her situation and that she could not escape, Reba immediately became frantic. And seeing her frightened was the exact moment that Maryeileen decided she would adopt her if no one else claimed her.
Reba found her forever home with Maryeileen and her household filled with rescued dogs and cats. But it was not yet her happy ending.
One time, she got bit by a rattlesnake trying to protect Maryeileen. She took her to the vet but the cost of the antivenom she needed was more than what Maryeileen could afford so she and her husband took her home and showered her with sub-cutaneous fluid, Benadryl, and lots of prayers.
Her head became swollen but then gradually the swelling ceased. Reba miraculously survived. But if once wasn’t enough, she was bit again two years later as she again protected Maryeileen from being attacked. Her head swelled up again but like she did the first time, she survived.
Maryeileen could have died on either occasion but thanks to Reba, she was able to get out of it safely. Reba risked her life for hers and she will forever be grateful. Reba will always be her hero dog.
Source: The Animal Rescue Site