This sweet, three-legged dog is undergoing treatment for cancer and he came to the rescue of a lost baby otter in the St. Croix River in Lakeland, Minnesota on Easter Sunday this year.
The friendly Goldendoodle named Gus who had to have an amputation because of a malignant tumor jumped into the cold river to get the poor little otter and brought it to his owner and her granddaughters, Lucy and Ella.
Gus’s owner Cleo Young explained that Gus came to the shore and had something in his mouth. What it turned out to be was a tiny, tiny otter!
Baby Otter Was without His Momma
Ella said that the otter was so cute and that it almost curled into a tiny ball when they took it out of the water.
According to Lucy, she held him for some time while trying to locate his mom, but they were unable to find her. They rushed the baby otter to the WRC (Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota).
They were worried if they were going to make it since the center was closing at 6 pm, but luckily, they did. The water rescue that Gus did was special since it was the first time he went swimming since his cancer diagnosis and leg amputation in February.
Gus is currently being treated with chemo at the Vet Hospital at the University of Minnesota. Ella explains that it’s his first time swimming with three legs only, yet he came out with an otter in his mouth.
The family says he’s doing well on three legs and that he runs as fast as he ever ran.
Update on the Baby Otter
The WRC shared an update on their Facebook page about the baby otter in April. The recovery is going well and they showed a video of him being fed through a bottle.
The center wrote the following caption:
“Everyone, give a shout-out to Gus, the wonderful Goldendoodle who while swimming in the St. Croix River came across this tiny young river otter and rescued it.”
The center was worried about the otter for the first 36 hours; the animal was cold to the touch and they weren’t sure if he had aspirated water that may trigger pneumonia. However, the baby otter turned the corner the next day and is doing well now.
According to the wildlife center, the otter was too young to be in the water and needed to be with his mom in a den. The baby was probably hurting and something was off. But, he surely got as many treats as he wanted afterward!
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