Kids Hear Whimpering In The Woods And Find A Frightened Dog Chained To Tree
Now, he’s a “cuddle bug” who can’t stop smiling.
By Sarah Ashley
Published on Nov 14, 2025 at 4:11 PM
On a recent Saturday in central Louisiana, some kids playing near their apartment complex heard tiny cries coming from the woods. Curious, they followed the sounds deep into the trees. Something bright red stood out between the branches: a collar.
There sat a terrified, skinny brown dog padlocked to a bamboo tree, a chain around his neck. He had no food or water and was missing one eye.
The kids quickly notified an adult about the situation, and word spread to Keri Bullock Toth, a local rescuer.
With animal control unable to dispatch an officer until Monday, Toth stepped in and, with the help of a friend, orchestrated a rescue.
First, Toth’s friend trekked into the woods to assess the dog’s situation. When the rescuer arrived, the dog didn’t growl or show aggression towards her. The poor guy seemed unsure, yet gentle. She offered him food and bent the bamboo tree back and forth until it snapped, allowing her to release the chain.
Though nervous, the dog let Toth’s friend lead him out of the woods. That night, even though Toth’s rescue was at capacity and without funds for medical care, she picked him up.
The following morning, Toth phoned Denise Gutnisky, founder of Mardi Paws, for help with the dog’s vet visit.
“She called me the next day to say, ‘Denise, would y’all be willing to pay that?’” Gutnisky told The Dodo. “And I said, ‘Absolutely.’”
The dog, later named Red Vern, received a full exam and vaccinations from the vet, including some antibiotics and stitches for the eye wound.
Throughout all this chaos, Red Vern took everything in stride, his sweet personality shining brightly.
“He was nervous,” Gutnisky said. “He flinched a lot, like, if you came from the side where the eye was bad … he definitely lost the eye from trauma.”
Now, Red Vern is learning to trust again. He’s living a cozy life with a foster, where he likes resting his head in laps and loves cuddling so much that it’s difficult to get photos of him doing anything else.