“She jumped right into my mom’s car …”
The road was foggy and eerily dark as Emily Orr drove from her mom’s house to the nearby dog park. At almost 9 p.m. in the dead of winter, nobody should’ve been outside in their Parkville, Missouri, neighborhood, including Orr. But after hearing what seemed like a cry for help from the closed dog park below, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Orr continued slowly down the street as the driving conditions worsened. The area was known for deadly car accidents under such conditions, but Orr refused to go home until she knew for sure the park was empty.
She soon arrived at the park, and her heart sank when she saw someone staring back at her.
“I pulled up to the dog park and saw [a] dog. I was shocked,” Orr told The Dodo. “I couldn’t believe somebody actually left their dog!”
Orr was wary about getting out of her car and investigating with her young daughter in the backseat, so she called the non-emergency police and her mom for help. In the meantime, she drove around the park, hoping to find the dog’s family, but the pup was sadly alone and frantic.
“The dog ran along the fence of the dog park following my car, and when I stopped and rolled down my window, she was crying [and] whining,” Orr said. “It felt like she was definitely as scared of the park at night as I was and wanted help.”
Orr’s mom and the police arrived moments later, and the crew promptly walked up to the park’s fence. The dog, later named Emilia, was elated to see them.
“She came to us right away and was unbelievably excited! She was wagging her tail.” Orr said. “She jumped right into my mom’s car. She was loving the treats my mom had brought and tried to stick her whole head in the box!”
Despite her exuberant personality, Emilia was concerningly thin. And while Orr thinks she hadn’t been in the park for long — likely dumped after sunset — any more time out there alone would’ve had devastating consequences.
“She would have suffered and possibly died spending the night in the park without shelter and in her emaciated state,” Orr said. “Thankfully, she wasn’t there for long!”
Orr’s mom took Emilia home for the night, where the scared dog’s anxiety kept everyone from sleeping. To avoid another night of nonstop barking and chewing up door trims, Orr’s mom bought a kennel — and Emilia settled in right away.
“It became very obvious that this dog was kennel trained and house trained. She would put herself in the kennel at night and go to sleep,” Orr said. “I can not express how gentle this dog is.”
Within days, Emilia’s personality began to blossom. She started showing interest in toys, especially her stuffed Lamb Chop, and won the confidence of Orr’s mom’s senior cats, often walking alongside them and trying to play. But it wasn’t until Orr’s mom experienced a medical emergency that they realized how special Emilia was.
Orr’s mom’s appendix ruptured suddenly one night. And while she writhed on the ground in pain, waiting for help, Emilia stayed faithfully by her side.
“Prior to my mom’s surgery, while she [lay] on the floor in excruciating abdominal pain, Emilia laid by my mom’s side and gently rested her head on my mom’s stomach,” Orr said.
Unfortunately, Orr’s mom couldn’t keep Emilia, but they vowed to help her find a fantastic home. With the assistance of Friends of Parkville Animal Shelter, they found a new foster home for the sweet girl, where she’s been thriving ever since.
Emilia is still on the hunt for a forever family, but in the meantime, she’s thoroughly enjoying her life with her new foster family. Life could’ve taken a different turn for Emilia that cold winter night, but thanks to Orr’s instincts, she’s now destined to live out the rest of her years feeling happy and safe.
There’s just one thing left to do to make Emilia’s dreams come true.
“I hope she finds her forever home,” Orr said.
