What would you do if you heard crying coming from somewhere nearby? This was a question that Junior Cook and his friend, Leon Colombe, had to ponder. Cook lives near a lake, so both he and Colombe were chilling out in Cook’s yard one night in Cross Lake, Manitoba, Canada. But then they heard something that was very odd. It sounded like crying, but that wasn’t possible because the only thing in front of them was water from the lake. At first, the men simply brushed off the noises, but as the crying continued, they decided to investigate and what they found was shocking.The only thing Cook could see through the binoculars were small shapes moving around in the distance, but he assumed they were wolves on an island. But the next morning, they heard the crying continue, so they took their boat out to investigate.
As they approached the island with their boat, they decided to videotape the experience because they realized almost immediately that the creatures that had been crying all night weren’t wolves. They were puppies.
**The footage that Cook and Colombe took showed the puppies hanging out by the water, but as soon as they noticed the boat was approaching, the puppies eagerly ran up to the shore to greet the two men.**
There were seven puppies in total and they were all starving, but the men only had a limited amount of food in their boat. However, they were more than happy to share what they had with the starving pooches.
Their tails were wagging, and they seemed certain that Cook and Colombe had arrived to rescue these castaways from the island. Judging from their scrawny appearance, it was obvious to the men that the dogs had been stuck on the island for weeks and were starving.
Cook and Colombe were determined to give the puppies what they needed to survive for the time being. When they got home, they contacted Deborah Vandekerkhove, the director of Norway House Animal Rescue, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Cook and Colombe named the puppies Gilligan, Skipper, Ginger, the Professor, Mary Ann, Thurston Howell III and Mrs. Howell, which were all characters on “Gilligan’s Island,” a show about a bunch of people who got stranded on an island.
It became obvious that they would have to earn the trust of these puppies before they could do anything else for them. But the puppies screamed whenever one of them tried to touch them, so the men came up with “Operation Gilligan’s Island” to help the pups.
They even brought dog kennels with them. Cook had to drag his doghouse across the lake, but it was worth it because this would offer the frightened puppies some decent protection against the elements until the men were able to take them off the island.
So, when any human approached, they would bark from fear and mistrust.
**Eventually, the puppies became comfortable enough around humans that they could be rescued.** The puppies were taken to a foster home where they could begin to acclimate to a better life. Only time would tell if they would be able to leave behind the painful memories of being stranded on that island.
Two of the seven puppies were girls and they were shy around humans, but Vandekerkhove felt that it was only a matter of time before the dogs would become just as sociable as their brothers, and accept that not all humans are bad.
Once the vets can confirm that all the puppies are healthy, the rescuers will work with the puppies to make them sociable enough to accept a forever family. Meanwhile, Vandekerkhove remains hopeful that all the pups will get their happy ending.
No one really knows for sure what happened, but at least they’re safe for now, and the siblings have formed a strong bond, which has helped a lot during their recovery. In fact, pups like Skipper and Gilligan are so close, you couldn’t tear them apart.
As adorable as they are, they require medical care and food, which costs money, so the organization is using their Facebook page and their Go Get Funding page to ask for donations in order to ensure these puppies get the attention they deserve.
If you’d like to help please visit their [Go Get Funding][1] page, and follow them on [Facebook][2]. [1]: https://gogetfunding.com/norway-house-animal-rescue/ [2]: https://www.facebook.com/NorwayHouseRescue/app/190322544333196/