In January 2015, in the chilly outdoors, Bret Winingar and his son Zach decided to take a motorcycle ride through the Arkansas countryside.
Unexpectedly, they noticed an animal cage at the roadside, hidden behind bushes.
They stopped their motorcycles and took a closer look out of curiosity.
Bret and Zach saw that the roof of the child’s cage was completely eaten away.
It seemed like whatever was inside was desperately trying to get out.
They were not prepared for what they would discover.
Bret Winingar and his son were enjoying a nice bike ride on a January day.
Father and son crossed a rural area east of Little Rock, Arkansas.
Along the way, they saw a box among the bushes.
They were told to get off their bikes and look inside the box.
What they found was both terrible and disturbing.
Bret and Zach saw that the roof of the child’s cage was completely eaten away.
It seemed like whatever was inside was desperately trying to get out.
When they opened the box, a large black dog emerged, reduced to skin and bones.
The dog was covered in feces all over the box, and „it smelled so much of death that we couldn’t stand to be downwind of it, its white paws were brown from its own excrement.“
This poor dog had been there for a long time. Trapped in the plastic crate, it had cuts and scratches all over its body.
They had to leave the dog when they continued cycling and quickly needed to retrieve Zach’s truck and food.
They hoped it would still be there when they returned.
It was there, waiting for them.
Bret wrote on his blog: „I was certain it was too late.
But then I heard an almost inaudible growl and thought, ‚If you have enough strength to growl, you have enough strength to live,‘ and we loaded him onto the back seat of Zach’s truck and headed home.“
Their grateful dog was named „Charlie Bravo,“ in reference to the Honda CB motorcycles they were riding on that fateful day.
Bret and his family took Charlie to the vet after giving him a much-needed bath.
His nails were so long that they curled around his paws. He couldn’t walk properly because it hurt so much.
When Charlie was found, veterinarians estimated he was about 8 months old.
Initially, Bret didn’t want to keep Charlie, as he already had several dogs.
But when Charlie improved and showed his wonderful personality, Bret and his family fell in love with him and couldn’t bear the thought of abandoning him.
„Crossing borders, Charlie’s story has left a lasting imprint in multiple ways,“ Bret shares.
„Charlie was left in his cage skin and bones when we found him.
For us, that cage is an analogy for anyone living in a self-imposed prison.
Charlie now looks sweet, happy, and beautiful. We can make it with a little help, he tells us.“
The Winingar family received numerous donations to cover Charlie’s veterinary expenses after his story was shared on Facebook.
Due to the large number of gifts received, the family donated the extra money to local animal shelters.
Charlie will never be left alone or forgotten.
Please SHARE Charlie’s amazing journey with your friends and family!