They're calling him Daniel the miracle dog. He's been named for the Bible hero who walked away from the lion's den unscathed. Because what better name could there be for a dog who went into an overcrowded Alabama animal shelter's gas chamber to be euthanized and walked out wagging his tail? But the true miracle of Daniel, the 4-year-old beagle who survived being gassed, is yet to come.
There are hundreds of people lining up to make him their family pet. And no wonder. Did you get a load of this little man's face? It's enough to make me want to hop in my car and take off for Eleventh Hour Rescue in Rockaway, New Jersey right NOW. Never mind the fact that I currently have one dog who drives me batty, and I'm always saying, "Never again, never will I live with this many pets!"
Even without his back story, he's just that stinking cute. But then there's that story. And oh what a story. Literally abandoned at the shelter in Florence, Alabama, no one came to claim him. No owners, no potential family. So he was put into the gas chamber with 17 other dogs.
And only he walked out. If you're not crying, you at least have a lump in your throat right now, am I right?
But however supernatural Daniel's powers may be, let's face facts. He's just one miraculous mongrel (now being cared for by a foster family for Eleventh Hour). Only one of these apparent hundreds of families can actually take the little guy home and help him bulk up from his little 20-pound frame into a happy, healthy version of man's best friend.
So here's the real test of Daniel's superpowers. Will he inspire those hound-hungry hoards to settle for another animal in need?
We live in a country where Humane Society estimates say 56 percent of dogs and 71 percent of cats that enter animal shelters are euthanized. And unlike Daniel, most of them don't walk out with tails wagging. In fact, just in 2008, they say approximately 3.7 million animals were euthanized.
We have literally millions of animals entering the shelter system every year. Millions who could use homes. And these people who were struck by a cool story on the news could be the ones who save another pup from the gas chamber ... by making sure he never makes it there. Daniel can save hundreds more lives!
Go ahead, try for Daniel. But if you don't get him, how about adopting another dog?
Image via Eleventh Hour Rescue