The two men spoke softly and tenderly, stroking the dog's wide head and muscular shoulders. The 1-year-old boxer raised his head off a pillow on the metal table and somehow in his soft eyes seemed to say, "Thanks, guys."
"He's a special boy. He's good people," said Butch Morris, Washington County humane officer, still petting the dog. "He wants to speak, but he can't, so we try to speak for him."
Lost, abandoned, runaway and homeless animals are far too common in Washington County. Nearly 2,000 cats and dogs were turned in from January to August of this year.
The county dog warden for eight years, Morris rescues and transports literally hundreds of dogs and cats to the shelter at 90 Mt. Tom Road every year.
But Boss stands out above all others as a very unusual and special dog, Morris said.
"Here I was, wading into the Muskingum River to pull him out of the mud along the shore. He was obviously seriously hurting bad, but he never once showed a tooth," Morris said of the day he and Boss got together. "His temperament from day one was incredible. This dog could have eaten me alive."
It was learned later that Boss ran away from home.
This dog's remarkable story began Sept. 26 Morris received a call from a camper along the river that a dog was down an embankment along the edge of the water and in trouble.
"He'd likely fallen over the bank," Morris said.
That was sometime after Boss was likely hit by a car and broken his hip. Then, some of his bones were set upon by another dog or possibly a coyote, who delivered painful and punishing puncture wounds to his legs.
"I couldn't carry him up the bank. It was too steep, so I led him up," Morris said. "He was able to walk out, but when we got to the top, he just dropped. He went into shock, so I wrapped him and got him out."
Gwen McHenry, veterinarian with River City Pet Hospital in Kroger Center, has been caring for Boss for two weeks now. The dog's hip was broken and dislocated on one side, his other leg seriously fractured. Boss has undergone multiple surgeries, including a hip reconstruction, and has a cast and internal pin in one leg.
The boxer was in bad shape until Tuesday, when he turned the corner and began improving, McHenry said.
"He's put up with everything and at this point, is on the upswing," she said. "He's had a lot of challenges. A smaller dog would not have survived the impact of the hit. He's a solid fellow."
The prognosis for Boss is 75 to 80 percent full recovery, although he may be left with a limp, the veterinarian said. Healing will take another two or three months.
"It depends a lot on the foster care he gets. We have a lot of hope," she said.
Morris said Boss will likely go to a boxer rescue organization, or - once he is able - be adopted from the shelter.
"If we can get Boss through this, we'd like to keep him around here so we can see him now and then," Morris said.
Boss had a tag on when he was found and his owner was identified and contacted.
"His owner couldn't afford the medical care at this point and was willing to surrender Boss to the shelter," Morris said. "He still comes to see him - to see how he's doing. He really did care about him."
Abandoned, lost or runaway pets are a major issue for the local shelter.
"People just move away and leave them," Morris said. "In the last two nights, four (dogs) were dumped on us."
On Thursday, an adult St. Bernard was turned in. The dog has a tumor on its leg, which will be checked out by the veterinarian. Also, Morris received a call about a dog that was struck by a car on Interstate 77, and he picked that animal up.
"A woman from Pennsylvania tried to rescue the dog, a small beagle. She put it in the front seat of her car and the dog bit her," Morris said. "It's best to call us and not try to rescue the dog."
Quarantine for 10 days is now planned for the dog, he said.
"The dog didn't offer to bite me. She isn't a bad dog and will be fine," Morris said.
Morris shook his head.
"I would love to save them all, but we can't always do it," he said.
For Boss, the future appears bright. People care about him. His personality and mild-mannered temperament carry him through.
"He's very awesome," McHenry said.
