When it comes to animal rescues, it’s only human to lend a
hand.
That was the case last month when neighbors saved baby quails
stuck in a sewer grate and a lost Shih Tzu with a broken
pelvis.
Morgan Hill – When it comes to animal rescues, it’s only human to lend a hand.
That was the case last month when neighbors saved baby quails stuck in a sewer grate and a lost Shih Tzu with a broken pelvis.
In both cases, a little empathy went a long way. Printers designed glossy fliers. Stores displayed notices.
Residents responded to the cries of anguished birds. Even the fire department got involved.
It all led to two happy endings.
Morgan Hill resident Frances Olson remembers the commotion of the quail rescue.
It started June 23 when she heard the hum of the fire engine in front of her Excalibur Court home.
She stepped outside and learned a family of quails had tried to cross the road.
But rather than getting to the other side, eight chicks had fallen into a sewer grate.
“They were small enough to fit in a child’s hand,” she said. “They must have just hatched.”
Luckily, five members of the South Santa Clara County Fire Department came to the rescue after receiving a call for help from Olson’s neighbor.
“One fireman was lying down on the sidewalk and another held a flashlight,” she said of the unusual scene.
The rescuers borrowed her yardstick to scoop the trapped hatchlings into a paper grocery bag.
The concerned neighbors then found momma and papa quail across the street, where they had been squawking during the ordeal.
“We dumped the paper bag on the ground, and they all huddled together,” Olson said.
The family’s been spotted many times since. “They’re going around the complex, doing their thing.”
As to the lost doggie, a small miracle occurred June 18 when a San Martin resident discovered 6-month-old “Dazee” lying in a pile of cement blocks in his work yard.
The puppy was dirty, weak, dehydrated and in shock from a broken hip and pelvis and more than three days on the street.
Dazee’s owner, Judi Ludewig, whose family runs the San Martin Christmas Tree Farm, said she almost “fell on the floor” when the neighbor called to say her little companion had been found.
Ludewig said San Martin, Gilroy and Morgan Hill friends, neighbors and relatives joined in the four-day search for Dazee, who found herself “lost” after playing “chase me” with her brother and sister, Ali and Dahli.
Hot Spot Printing in Morgan Hill designed 200 glossy fliers. Businesses who displayed the posters included the French Cleaner, Erik’s Deli Cafe, TJ Maxx, the UPS Store, Rocca’s Market and San Martin Market.
Ludewig said the neighbor who found the dog knew about the search because of the fliers on the street.
She isn’t sure how Dazee injured herself, but she’s grateful the vet predicted a full recovery.
“It’s heartbreaking to lose an animal,” Ludewig said.
“It’s important you don’t lose hope. If they’re lost, someone will help.”
