It's true that life gets hectic sometimes. You hurtle through your day without pausing or looking around you, because you just need to get stuff done.
And normally, that's OK. But sometimes, simply looking up can save a life. Literally.
That was what happened in a crowded Brooklyn subway station one day. Commuters and tourists alike walked right past a lonely and frightened dog tethered to a handrail. She was all alone with nothing but a nasty pronged collar around her neck and a garbage bag nearby, possibly as a sort of makeshift "bed."
Subways, though, are strange places because with so many people, really anything can happen, from impromptu performances to daring rescues. And while someone had cruelly abandoned a dog and more people had shamefully ignored her, one person stepped forward to make sure this dog's life was saved.
That person was Sarah Borok, who was coming home from work. But even after a long day, she knew she had to do something. She called the police and waited with the dog until they came.
The dog was transported to Mr. Bones & Co., a rescue organization in Brooklyn, where she was named Betsey, and she got a new lease on life.
[H/T: The Dodo]
This was the sight that greeted Sarah Borok on her way home from work through Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue subway station.
Someone simply left this dog here, all alone.
Borok took this video before calling the police.
"It was determined that she had been there for at least an hour and nobody had called the cops or animal control," said Marisa Grimshaw from Mr. Bones & Co. animal rescue.
"So we can only imagine how many people walked past her — and I'm sure didn't think it was normal but also didn't feel compelled to stop and help her."
Luckily for the dog, though, Borok did stop, and she waited until police arrived to take her to a shelter, and to her new life.
From what they could tell, the dog, who was named Betsey, was only about 2 years old, but had already given birth to several litters of puppies.
Based on her overgrown nails and the pressure sores on her joints, she was likely living in a cramped cage. And she was dirty, too, so clearly her life had not been an easy one.
The rescuers assume that she was likely used to breed puppies that would then be sold.
She referred to Betsey as a "throwaway mama," a dog who is bred repeatedly and then discarded.
Even though they were busy, Mr. Bones & Co. took Betsey in right away, cleaned her up, and gave her a checkup.
Betsey then spent what was probably her first safe, comfortable night with Borok, where she seemed exhausted, but in good spirits.
While at the shelter, Grimshaw also reported that although she was timid, Betsey seemed at relative ease with the other dogs, so she has high hopes that Betsey will have no behavioral problems.
Betsey is still looking for a laid-back forever home where she can learn to just be a dog again.
You can also check out Mr. Bones & Co. on their website, Facebook, and Instagram, and consider donating.
Borok, meanwhile, urges everyone to SHARE Betsey's story. "Please always stop for animals," she posted on Facebook. "Stop and think about how they feel, what they might need, how you can be their voice. There is always something you can do."
