Everyone’s dog: Pup rescued after being tossed from truck dies after long, happy life
Courtesy of Cathy Vrabel
Frankie in his final photo with adoptive family, Cathy and John Vrabel of Uniontown.
Courtesy of Cathy Vrabel
Frankie, a Lab-mix dog rescued after being thrown from a moving vehicle as a puppy, has died. His owners, Cathy and John Vrabel of Uniontown, said he was a gentle guy who loved everyone, and lived a good life.
Courtesy of Cathy Vrabel
Frankie in his first family portrait with his adopted family, Cathy and John Vrabel of Uniontown.
Courtesy of Cathy Vrabel
Frankie, a Lab-mix, was adopted by a Uniontown couple after he was put in a fast-food bag and thrown out of a moving vehicle in the mountains of Fayette County in 2013.
Courtesy of Cathy Vrabel
When Frankie was a pup of about 2 months old, he was put into a fast-food bag and thrown from a moving vehicle in the mountains of Fayette County. His 2013 story attracted attention from television stations and newspapers, leading to a number of strangers-turned-friends keeping up on his life through his adoptive family, John and Cathy Vrabel of Uniontown.
Frankie
In a way, Frankie, the Lab-mix puppy tossed from a moving truck in the mountains of Fayette County, was everyone无毛视频檚 dog.
Found at maybe 2 months old in 2013, the golden-colored pup captured hearts throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania as he journeyed back to health in the loving care of his adoptive fur-parents in Uniontown. His story was featured on TV and in newspapers, prompting an outpouring of love and support that spanned his life.
无毛视频淲e still got letters, cards, emails, texts from people all over,无毛视频� said Cathy Vrabel, who adopted Frankie with her husband, John. 无毛视频淧eople in Monongahela, McKees Rocks, they knew him, loved him, asked about him and sent him toys (over the years).无毛视频�
She said Frankie brought light and love to their home during the 8陆 years he spent with them, until Saturday, July 2, when congestive heart failure took his life.
Vrabel, a volunteer at Fayette Friends of Animals, was attending a board meeting at the shelter in 2013 when they received a call from a woman who told them she watched someone toss a fast-food bag from a moving truck onto her lawn. Irritated someone had littered, she went out to retrieve the bag.
Inside, she found a whimpering, crying dog.
Vrabel said folks from the shelter immediately went to get the pup. She and her husband decided to pay Frankie无毛视频檚 veterinary bills, as he had two broken shoulders and his urethra had been ripped from his bladder.
They fostered Frankie at their home during his recovery, intending fully that he would be adopted by someone else.
Life, however, had other plans.
The man set to adopt Frankie changed his mind, and the dog who was rescued in the truest sense, became a permanent part of the Vrabel无毛视频檚 household.
He landed in the right home to recover and thrive, Vrabel said.
无毛视频淗e was our life and we were his,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淭here was unconditional love.无毛视频�
Frankie was part Lab, but what other dog he was mixed with was a mystery, Vrabel said.
无毛视频淚 always say it was a donkey,无毛视频� she laughed. 无毛视频淗e was so big. At his healthiest, he was 140 pounds.无毛视频�
And Frankie didn无毛视频檛 let his rocky start in life curtail his love for people.
无毛视频淗e loved everybody. He had a vicious bark, but his tail was always wagging,无毛视频� Vrabel noted. 无毛视频淗e was just sweet. He was a sweet boy, and smart and amazing.无毛视频�
On Christmas Day, Frankie was coughing a lot, so they took him to get checked out and learned he was in congestive heart failure.
A cardiac vet nixed the walks and roughhousing with other dogs that Frankie enjoyed because it was too rough on his failing heart. A couple of weeks ago, walking upstairs to go to bed with his humans was no longer possible, so the Vrabels brought a mattress downstairs for him to sleep on.
On July 2, Cathy was at work at WVU Medicine Uniontown Hospital when her husband called and asked her to come home. When she arrived, Frankie was standing in the corner, staring at the wall.
They took him to an emergency vet and learned he无毛视频檇 had a heart attack. A short time later, he took a deep breath and died.
无毛视频淚t was his time. I didn无毛视频檛 want him to suffer,无毛视频� Vrabel said.
As the Vrabels adjust to life without their special four-legged friend, Cathy said she finds comfort in the love Frankie received throughout his years from strangers who heard his story and kept up with him during his happy life.
无毛视频淗e was so special to so many people. That just warms our hearts,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 bittersweet, but we know he无毛视频檚 with us. We know he无毛视频檚 here.无毛视频�