Smoke - Rescued 3/9/25
- Anakin's Trails
- Mar 9
- 3 min read
✔️✔️ WE GOT SMOKE! ✔️✔️
A Fight for Survival in Greer, SC
It takes weeks—sometimes months—for a dog to become truly emaciated. When we see a dog in that condition, we know that every day has been a battle for survival.
🚫 Lack of food.
🚫 Lack of shelter.
🚫 Fear so strong, it overcomes even hunger.
For Smoke, a blue Staffy mix found wandering the streets of Greer, SC, neglect was written all over his frail body. He was starving—but more than that, he was terrified.
The First Sighting: A Call for Help
One day, a kindhearted woman spotted a pitiful but beautiful blue pit bull in her neighborhood.
📸 She took a picture.💻 She posted it online.🍖 She laid out food.
And just like that, Smoke had people fighting for him.
As the calls and tags started rolling in, our team knew we had to act fast. Smoke’s condition put him at the top of our priority list.
I reached out to the woman for permission to lay out food, a camera, and eventually, a trap. She welcomed the help with open arms.
It seemed like an easy case—the food was set, the camera was rolling.
🚶♂️ I turned to leave…
👀 And there he was.
A walking skeleton.
😨 Scarred. Growling. Terrified.
The sunlight cast harsh shadows over his ribs, revealing just how much his body had deteriorated. He hurriedly devoured the food I had just placed, his fear momentarily overcome by his desperation.
Smoke Vanishes
We set up a heavily baited trap at the food station, hopeful that Smoke would return.
But he never did.
Days passed. Then a week.
🚫 No sightings.
🚫 No more visits to the food station.
🚫 He was gone.
Something had spooked him.
Our team refused to give up. We launched a two-week flyer campaign, covering the surrounding areas, hoping for a lead.
Then, finally—a breakthrough.
A mile away from his last sighting, reports started pouring in. He was alive.
A kindhearted man had seen Smoke as early as October 2024, roaming the Water Line Trail.
And better yet—he had been feeding him.
The Leapfrog Trap Setup
The moment we had a confirmed location, we sprang into action.
🔎 Step 1: Set up food stations.
📸 Step 2: Monitor cameras to confirm his routine.
📍 Step 3: Establish a safe trap site.
Joyce and I started placing small, camouflaged food stations along the trail.
And then, the moment of truth…
🚨 Smoke appeared on camera, eating from the station! 🚨
He had finally found a safe place to eat.
Now, it was time to build his trust.
Each morning at 10:30 AM, Joyce and I carried heavy trap panels down the rugged trail,, setting up the structure one piece at a time.
Every night, the neighbors continued feeding Smoke.
And with every visit, he got closer to safety.
At first, we weren’t sure if the trap would spook him.
Would he trust the towering metal panels that weren’t there before?
He did.
Smoke walked right up to the food and ate—completely unfazed.
The Final Rescue
On the morning of February 9th, Sharon, Mike, and Joyce met to complete the trap setup.
🚨 It was GO TIME! 🚨
Bright and early, Beth, Sharon, and Joyce arrived to set the trap live.
Within 30 minutes…
📸 The camera notification came through.
HE WAS IN!
Our secretary, Debbie, rushed to assist with the trap retrieval.
And just like that, Smoke’s fight for survival was over.
A New Beginning
🚫 No more starving.
🚫 No more running.
🚫 No more fear.
🐾 Smoke, you will NEVER go hungry again. 🐾
A special thank you to Lauren for hanging the flyers that led to his sighting, and to the incredible neighbors who helped us keep him safe until we could bring him home.
Comments