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In the summer of 1975, my husband and I went for a ride in the Ramapo Mountains with our 2-year-old son. Something ran across the road in front of us. We looked at each other and said, "What was that?” I started yelling to stop the car, but my husband was reluctant because we didn't know what it was. Needless to say, he stopped.

DOG. PHOTO: PIXABAY / CHAOSCHOR

I got out and sat on the side of the road. This poor little thing came slinking out of the woods with her tail wagging and then crawled into my lap. I was in love. Into the car she went. We brought her home and gave her food, a bath and a comfortable bed.

The next day, we took her to the vet. She was approximately 4-months-old. She had lost most of her hair due to flea infestation, she was underweight, and had a broken leg and rickets. She threw up berry skins, twigs and leaves for days. We had to leave her at the veterinarian overnight. The next day, when we went to pick her up, she was overjoyed to see us. Her leg was splinted and she'd been given a thorough flea bath. In time, her hair grew back, the rickets cured and her leg healed.

PHOTO: JOANN KULCSAR

How she got her name: When I put her in the car, our 2-year-old kept calling her a rat. We thought about naming her Rat, but it just didn't seem right, so we all agreed on Mouse. Mouse lived with us for many years. We always felt she was grateful to us for saving her, and we were grateful to her for enriching our lives. She was the best baby girl we could ever have asked for.

Story submitted by JoAnn Kulcsar from Highland, New York.

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!