Puppy Wakes Up After Being Euthanized in Overcrowded Shelter, Rescuers Call It a Miracle

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From the archives: This story was last updated in March 2019.

Whether you are a pet owner or a volunteer at an animal shelter, euthanasia is one of the hardest decisions to make. But with animal shelters getting overcrowded these days, there seems to be no other alternative.

Rudolph, an 8-month-old pit bull mix, found himself in a similar situation when an animal shelter in Oklahoma decided to put him down. After injecting him with a deadly chemical, the vet returned to find him still alive.

The pup was then moved to King’s Harvest Pet Rescue No Kill Shelter in the hope that someone would adopt the dog that miraculously beat death.

King’s Harvest wrote on Facebook: “He was at shelter that was full so the vet euthanized him. But God had a different plan because he woke up. And thank goodness the vet said he wouldn’t do it again. So we brought him to our shelter in hopes somebody would come adopt him and give him a second chance at life.”

“He’s a miracle dog, absolutely,” Kylie Jo Mitchell, who works at King’s Harvest, told WQAD. “I’ve never heard of anything like this ever, this is a first.”

After Rudolph’s miraculous survival story was shared on the internet, the dog became an overnight sensation as people were moved by his plight. The shelter was flooded with adoption applications, phone calls, and messages. The next morning, people had already lined up at the shelter’s doors even before it opened.

Jacob Hommer, a resident of Des Moines, drove two and a half hours in the hope of giving Rudolph to a combat veteran.

“My family and I we have bred Siberian Huskies for combat veterans, Purple Heart recipients, combat wounded veterans,” he explained.

Hommer asked the veteran to check out the dog and its incredible story, and the veteran was so moved by it that he was like “I have to have this dog.”

But with so many people wanting to adopt Rudolph, the animal shelter found it hard to decide who would eventually turn out to be the best owners for the pit bull.

Meanwhile, they didn’t have to wait for long as Rudolph found his forever home that afternoon.

Finally, it was Joyce and Mitchell Valentine, a mother-and-son duo, who were the lucky ones to take Rudolph home.

“It’s amazing and it’s almost a miracle in itself,” Mitchell told WHBF. “We know that there were a lot of people who really wanted him, we do…We just fell in love with him.”

“There’s something about this dog that’s meant to be here,” said Joyce. “There’s a plan for him, I don’t know what it is, but I’m glad I get to be a part of it.”

The family said that Rudolph, now nicknamed “Rudy,” has fit right in with the family.

They also revealed that he is becoming friends with their 4-year-old dog named Thatchet.

“He’s made himself completely comfortable,” said Joyce. “Snuggles up with our pit Thatchet, they sleep together.”

King’s Harvest hopes that those who weren’t lucky to get Rudolph will still be open to having room for someone else.

Rochelle Dougall, assistant director at King’s Harvest, said: “We have one dog that creates this amazing story for us and then we clear our dog kennels with adoptions because this one dog’s story has touched so many people. It’s not just a gift for Rudolph, it’s been a gift for us here to have him.”

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