Dog ‘running scared’ in SC swamp for days is finally rescued. ‘Sweet’ pup needs a home

A dog found “running scared” in a swamp was finally rescued — and now, he needs a home.

“Meet Trooper, a one-year-old pup whose sweet and goofy personality shines brightly, even after all he’s been through,” a South Carolina shelter wrote in an adoption profile. “He’s a gentle soul who enjoys life at his own pace, often choosing to observe rather than engage with other dogs, especially the rambunctious ones.”

The Charleston Animal Society shared updates about Trooper after a man spotted him in the Wambaw Swamp Wilderness in late August.

“When Sam Rose saw a ‘black dot’ running on the horizon, off the gravel road he was driving on near the swamp , he knew he had to stop,” the shelter wrote Sept. 25 on Facebook. “That black dot was Trooper, a skittish dog running scared with a terrible wound down the middle of his back. Rose worried the injury might be from a coyote attack.”

Rose, who told the shelter “it brings tears to (his) eyes to think someone would have left him out there like that,” felt compelled to help the dog.

“The Good Samaritan who found him attempted to bring him into the safety of his car, but the frightened Trooper evaded him at every turn,” shelter spokesperson Kay Hyman told McClatchy News in an email.

But Rose “wouldn’t give up,” driving 50 miles round trip to buy food to lure Trooper into a crate. Then after two days , the elusive dog was captured and brought to the shelter.

There, veterinarians determined Trooper’s injuries were serious burns, believed to have been caused from exposure to the sun. The dog also was emaciated and “covered in ticks,” the shelter wrote in its email and social media posts.

Now Trooper, described as a “loving” Labrador retriever mix, is on the mend.

“Trooper carries the scars of his past — a reminder of the severe burns he suffered along his back-but these only add to his resilience and charm,” the shelter wrote. “He has been nurtured with care at the shelter, and now he’s ready to find a loving home where he can feel safe and cherished.”

As of Sept. 30, Trooper was still listed as available for adoption on the shelter’s website. More details about the animal organization’s adoption process can be found at charlestonanimalsociety.org .

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