“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” – Roger Caras, American activist

Too many animals are left on the streets, without food and home and love. But thankfully, there are people who spend their time finding those strays and bringing them to a better place. For one dog, his path to a home was a bit more difficult than most – thanks to the jug on his head.

When Teri Goodnight heard about ‘Jughead’, she knew she had to help him. Goodnight had already rescued dozens of stray dogs, but not one with his head trapped inside a cat feeder. She said that Jughead had been wandering the streets of Montgomery County, Texas. No one had been able to get near the scared dog.

A stray dog in Montgomery County, Texas, became known as Jughead after his encounter with a plastic container. Photo courtesy of Teri Goodnight

“I felt so bad for him,” Goodnight said. Residents told her that the poor dog had found himself stuck after searching for food and finding an automatic cat feeder on a porch. As he ate the food, they told her, his head got stuck inside the jug. Thankfully, Goodnight said, the container had a hole on the side of it which let him breathe.

“I’m an animal lover, but particularly dogs,” said Goodnight, who dedicates her days and nights to trapping. So she set out in search of Jughead, who was often running with another dog, they called Red. “He was super vulnerable to being attacked by other dogs,” Goodnight said. “He wouldn’t even be able to defend himself. Even though he was able to eat and drink, he still wasn’t safe.”

The dog, she said, had found a way to eat, using an opening in the side to scoop food into it. “He got hungry enough that he had to figure out how to eat with that container on, and he did,” Goodnight said. She said trapping a dog can come with issues, especially when they don’t trust humans. Typically she will set up a cage that locks when the dog enters it. Goodnight will fill it with things like chicken or hamburger to try and get the stray to walk into the cage.

Then, Goodnight said, she will sit in her car, often for hours, watching and waiting. She can trip the door with a remote trigger, and close the door on the animal. However, Jughead was the hardest dog to capture, she said. It took 25 trips spread out over 30 days, but Goodnight refused to stop.

At times, she said, Red would enter the trap without being afraid, but Jughead was terrified. They let Red leave with Jughead, so the dog wouldn’t be alone. Overtime, Goodnight said, Jughead became accustomed to the trap and the food she would leave near it. “There were three different days where I was there for 24 hours straight. All the other days I was there for 10-plus hours,” she said. “I would sit there all night long.”

Jughead and Red after their capture. Photo courtesy of Teri Goodnight

Finally, after more than a month, Goodnight won the battle. Jughead stepped inside the cage and she closed the door. “I knelt down and just started bawling,” Goodnight said. “I literally cried for 10 minutes; just sobbing.” Another rescuer helped Goodnight take the jug off his head with wire cutters. “His face was super swollen,” Goodnight said, but Jughead seemed grateful to be free.

“He didn’t freak out or panic,” Goodnight said. “You could tell that he was relieved.” Jughead, now named Buck, and Red, aptly renamed Archie, are now safe and doing well in a foster home together. They will likely be up for adoption in a few months. Goodnight said this is just one example of how important her job is. “It’s super rewarding knowing that it’s one less animal that has to live on the streets,” she said. Watch below to see Goodnight’s amazing rescue of Jughead.

Sources: Washington Post | NBC15