Man Acts Fast To Help Mysterious Fuzzy Lake Creature

Jim Passmore of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, started his morning in the usual way. He got dressed, leashed his dogs, and set out into the crisp spring air. Nothing drove sleep from his body like trodding on woodland trails, breathing in the sweet smells of damp earth.

His usual stomping grounds was Haikey Creek, a park frequented by outdoor lovers admiring the plentiful pecan trees. Runners and hikers legged around the quiet banks of the water. There, while waiting for his yorkies to do their business, Jim spotted something out of the ordinary.

A strange mass floated on the surface of the park's waters, sitting in stark contrast to the normally smooth surface of the creek. It was big, brown, and vaguely animal-like. Squinting to get a better look, he guessed the object was a log. But he wasn't sure.

Edging closer to the shore, Jim stepped off the trail onto the muddy grass. If he could just get a closer look, he might be able to satisfy his curiosity. Finally, with a jolt, Jim realized the thing wasn't a thing after all. It was covered in brown hair. It was alive.

Feeling lucky to glimpse a wild creature in its natural habitat, Jim was only more intrigued. The unknown animal was moving, barely. Could it be gently stirring in its sleep? Floating, but rattled by a dream? Then his dogs began to snarl.

The nearer Jim inched to the animal, the more riled up his tiny pups got. Their predatory snarls and growls made it seem like they sensed some looming danger. Nevertheless, he grew concerned by the animal's feeble movements. It looked desperate — and stuck.

Since the thing was hanging out in a wooded, muddy, creek bank, all signs suggested it was a beaver. Then, fresh off the revelation, he noticed something hidden in the brush that hinted towards a more sinister situation.

A carrier. The case was large, the kind used to transport pets to the vet, and appeared abandoned. Poking around inside, Jim discovered a large filthy blanket. What worried him more was that, beneath the blanket, was a heavy weighted chain.

Standing there, Jim tried to piece together what was going on. Obviously, someone had discarded the carriage. Judging by the haphazard scene — the dirty blanket, the chain, the bitten and mangled cage — a cruel individual had dumped a helpless creature in the wild.

Someone, Jim thought, intended to harm the animal, but it escaped. While understanding washed over him, a rustling in the woods got his attention. Another beaver crawled out of the undergrowth. Jim took this as a sign.

Not fleeing from human contact, the beaver moved into the open. Jim watched mystified as it crossed the ground and moved closer down the creek's edge, towards the mystery creature.

Seeing as he had pegged the mystery animal as a beaver, Jim took this new beaver's fantastical intervention as a positive omen to trust his gut. He approached this beaver, creeping the final few feet towards the floating animal.

The other animal stirred weakly, trapped in the muddy suction of the water. Side by side, Jim knew he'd guessed wrong. The creature was way too big to be a beaver unless it was a radioactive giant one.

All along, the creature in distress had been a big, fluffy, dog! Muck and grime concealed a gorgeous collie. Glad he further investigated the mystery creature, Jim stepped into the creek, now determined to save him.

Better safe than sorry, Jim called out to some other pedestrians to give him a hand freeing the dog. They gathered around him, but as Jim had feared, any contact sent the dog into frenzy mode. It bit someone who got too close.

With the creature still stuck in the mud, Jim reevaluated their strategy. They needed to be careful. Grabbing onto the scared pooch would only freak it out further. So, in order to unstick the cranky thing, they needed a distraction.

A solution popped into Jim's noggin: the dog couldn't bite what it couldn't see. Grabbing a dark sweatshirt, he draped it on the suffering dog's head. Cutting out all vision and light worked like a charm; the hairy critter appeared soothed.

Now that the dog was subdued, they had to yank it free. It slipped further into the mud, and so would the rescuers if they kept standing in the gloop. They needed a pulley system.

Wrangling up a makeshift lift composed of dog leashes, they looped the ropes around its belly. Planting their feet, the gang heaved. You'd figure several able-bodied men would pluck the helpless creature out in seconds, but it was as if this guy had been super glued.

Finally, after one high-stakes game of tug-of-war, the dog slipped free! Elated, Jim pulled back the covering and wiped away the mud to reveal the dog's face...

The dog looked thankful but understandably terrified. There was no telling how long the poor creature wrestled to free itself from the mud after its owner deliberately cast their pet away. All they could confirm was that the handsome doggy appeared perfectly healthy.

Jim, a long established dog lover, was furious. How anyone could abuse an animal, let alone their pet, he never would fathom. He phoned the police, and officers arrived swiftly on the scene. Finally, the scared pet had advocates, and they set to work to keep him safe.

Upon further examination, the police began to piece together the sad truth of the dog's tale: Locked in the animal carrier, trying to bite its way out, the sweet creature had been dropped on the street.

At some point, the cage had been struck by a car, sending it tumbling into the forest, where it landed in the muddy bank of the creek. By a pure miracle, the dog survived this horror story, mostly unscathed, but surely mentally wounded.

If Jim hadn't been guided by the auspicious beaver, who knows if the poor thing would have made it out of the mud. But that magical appearance raised more questions than answers. Was the beaver signaling a fellow animal in danger, or was it pure coincidence?

However, no one had time to ponder over the mystery. Officers realized the dog wasn't walking out of the paddock. They had to get the sizable dog, they'd dubbed Teddy (due to his stuffed animal likeness) to the vet for an examination.

Teddy was wiped out from his mud struggle. He appeared to be pretty overweight, and that, coupled with possible injuries, prevented leading him on a leash. In another twist of fortune, the rescuers found a wheelbarrow not too far away.

Wrapped in a blanket, Teddy was carefully placed in the wheelbarrow and pushed out of the paddock. The next call Jim made was to the Oklahoma Alliance for Animals. In a few minutes, they made arrangements to take Teddy under their wings.

In a way, Teddy dodged another attempt on his life. Landing a spot with the OAA allowed him a chance at rehabilitation. His scared demeanor and his justified lack of trust of humans would've certainly marked him for euthanasia if he'd been taken to the shelter.

Not to mention, Teddy bit one of his rescuers, which, regrettably, is a fast track for putting an animal to sleep. The rescue group refused to give up hope for his future. Fearing that his lashing out was a side effect of rabies, they ran tests to rule it out.

Results came back clear: Teddy was rabies-free. But he still had a long journey to make him well enough to find a new family. His movements and general attitude were low energy, and he needed to increase activity to lose some pounds.

Once the kind rescue workers started spoiling Teddy, his sourness melted away. In its place was a soft, gentle, somewhat-slimmer, long-coated sweetheart. His story gained viral traction, and he had a wide fanbase cheering on his fitness journey.

Teddy didn't have to wait long for his happily ever after. Jessie, a Vet Tech for the rescue, fell hard for his sad puppy dog eyes. The forces of nature made sure Teddy was found and granted the fairytale life he deserved. Of course, there are a few kind souls doing the same.

If you asked the people of Crete about Theoklitos Proestakis, you'd likely see a lot of puzzled looks. But if you mentioned him by his nickname, Takis, just about everyone would know him. He's got quite a reputation on that island... at least with the island's animals.

The Greek man practiced dentistry in the picturesque town of Ierapetra, and neither he nor his neighbors ever thought they could ask for more. But by 2009, their dream lifestyles began to crumble.

The global financial crisis hit Greece extremely hard, and the following years saw the country's debt and unemployment skyrocket. As some households lost everything, riots and protests broke out on the streets.

All over the isle of Crete, families made heartbreaking decisions to save money, particularly when it came to their pets. Some people abandoned their animals out in the wilderness. Others did much worse.

The aftermath nearly broke Takis. A lifelong canine lover, he couldn't believe it when he drove past a local landfill. Countless dogs had made it their home, and they were fighting over scraps to survive.

Unable to bear the sight of these poor animals suffering, the dentist gave them some relief. He snuck through the fence and poured a bag of dog food in a clearing. As the dogs scarfed it up, Takis noticed many of them were in dire need of medical attention.

For the weakest pooches, Takis called in some favors from doctor friends to nurse them back to health. Still, he knew this was a short-term solution. If these dogs stayed out in the open, most of them would die.

Fortunately, an open stretch of land on the outskirts of Ierapetra presented a solution. Takis figured that it could function as a temporary sanctuary for the abandoned dogs. At the very least, it would be better than living in the dump.

In 2012, the Cretan began moving the neglected pooches to the site, which he dubbed the Takis Shelter. He hoped the dogs could hole up there until they found permanent homes, though the situation immediately proved more complicated than he imagined.

Some neighbors complained about the noise from the dogs, and a few hotheads even threatened violence. Nevertheless, Takis blocked out their insults and warnings. He had enough to deal with inside his own organization.

As more dogs entered the shelter, his costs spiraled out of control. For one thing, he spent nearly $2,000 per month just feeding all the pooches. But some had even more expensive needs.

A number of the dogs weren't spayed or neutered, so Takis paid for these operations out-of-pocket to keep his shelter population from spiraling out of control. Before long, he took extreme measures to keep everything from going under.

Takis essentially gave up his old life! He already left dentistry behind to care for Crete's abandoned dogs, but soon enough, he also had to sell his home and his car just to pay the bills. There was almost nothing left for him.

From there on out, the Takis Shelter also became the home of its founder. He slept and took his meals right alongside the animals he was rescuing and feeding. Many people would've considered this rock bottom.

But strangely enough, Takis felt more fulfilled than ever before. While there was no denying that his new life was hard, he knew he was really making a difference. And word about his mission started to get around too.

As the population of the shelter approached 200, Takis felt increasingly overwhelmed, but he wouldn't be alone for long. Both friends and strangers from Ierapetra began to show up at the gates. They wanted to lend a helping hand.

Though not everyone had the time to volunteer, many more aided Takis' efforts in their own ways. Crates of food and pet supplies, mostly from other countries, arrived on his doorstep. Suddenly, Takis had enough support to do more than just scrape by.

As a matter of fact, Takis opened up a new branch of the shelter specifically for abandoned house cats. After all, dogs weren't the only ones kicked out of their homes after the recession.

In time, Takis Shelter finally began achieving its ultimate goal: finding permanent homes for their pets. Delighted visitors swarmed in to find a new family member and left with huge smiles on their faces.

For Takis, it's bittersweet to see his canine pals leave him, but he knows they're off to a better place. He continues to pull unfortunate pups out of landfills and alleys every day, though now he's sure he's not just giving them shelter. He's giving them hope.