A dog wandering with a bucket on its head launched a rescue effort. He's finally home.
Corrections & clarifications: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported the name of Brittany Dunn.
GADSDEN, Ala. — When mail carrier Brittany Dunn ran her route Sunday, she noticed something strange: a wandering dog with a jug stuck on its head.
She snapped a photo and shared it on social media, launching a community-wide effort to free the dog. Monday, the dog, lovingly dubbed "Buckethead," was reunited with his owner.
About 35 animal lovers gathered Sunday morning to rescue Buckethead from his bucket. Many were worried about how thin he looked in the photo, and they had no way of knowing how long his head had been stuck in the container, making it impossible for him to get food or water.
One of the rescuers, Ashley Smith, tackled the dog in the woods and removed the bucket from his head, said another rescuer, Chris Moulds, in a Facebook post.
Others were setting up a perimeter to keep Buckethead contained. But the dog evaded capture before the perimeter was set and fled a few blocks away, crossing a "very high-traffic area," Moulds said.
Dustin Frazier, another member of the makeshift rescue team, trailed the dog on a dirt bike and was able to earn his trust enough to slip a lead over him.
Frazier's wife, Nicole, who owns a local dog boarding and grooming business, took Buckethead to the shop to clean him up and let him rest, Moulds said.
As the story circulated once Buckethead was rescued, Patrick Stallings, from the small community of Hokes Bluff, just miles east of Gadsden, recognized the dog. He visited the shop Monday and was able to positively ID the pet as his own. His dog, Fisher, had been missing for 34 days.
Many people had already offered the dog a home. Potential adopters contacted the Gadsden Times, part of the USA TODAY Network, from as far away as California and Florida.
"I bet he would enjoy retiring in Florida," one offered.
Moulds, who also works with animal rescue groups as far away as Minnesota, said he planned to keep the dog for a week until an owner claimed him. He said he was happy Buckethead — or Fisher — had found his way home and grateful for the community rescue effort that had also helped forge many new relationships among animal lovers and rescue groups.
The dog had gotten away before, Moulds said, but there now are plans to have him chipped, so he can be found more easily; and neutered, to curtail his wandering ways.
Stallings said he has an appointment Thursday with a veterinarian to give Fisher a GPS chip.
"My wife Tammy and I are so happy to have him home," Stalling said in a message to the Gadsden Times.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Gadsden, Alabama dog with head stuck in bucket reunites with owner
