“We don’t really know what happened, how he landed there …”
A few months ago, staff at Stray Rescue of St. Louis received a surprising call from employees at a nearby KFC. Someone had abandoned a tiny puppy in the restaurant’s bathroom.
Donna Lochmann, the rescue’s chief life-saving officer, rushed to the scene. When she arrived, workers led her to the kitchen, where they had placed the puppy in a large box to keep him safe.
The moment she saw him, it was clear he’d been neglected for a long time. The small dog was extremely thin, trembling and terrified.
No one knew how he ended up there, but one thing was certain — he needed help fast.
A fragile start
Lochmann quickly brought the puppy back to the rescue, where staff immediately began treating him with fluids and food.
“He was shaking uncontrollably,” a staff member said.
The team named him Drummy.
Once he was stable enough, staff member Spencer Thomson stepped in to foster him. At first, Drummy was exhausted and spent most of his time sleeping, trying to recover from everything he’d been through.
A shocking discovery
A DNA test revealed that Drummy was an American bully — a breed that typically grows much larger.
At five months old, Drummy weighed only 5 pounds.
That meant his neglect had been far worse than anyone initially realized.
A mother’s touch
Thankfully, Drummy didn’t have to recover alone.
One of Thomson’s dogs, who had recently raised her own puppies, immediately took an interest in him. She stayed close, licking and comforting him, treating him like one of her own.
With her help — and plenty of care from Thomson — Drummy slowly began to heal, both physically and emotionally.
Learning to be a puppy
As his strength returned, so did his confidence.
Soon, Drummy was playing, exploring and even tackling the stairs in his foster home — despite each step being nearly as tall as he was.
His personality began to shine through, full of energy and joy.
A forever home
It didn’t take long for Thomson to realize he couldn’t part with Drummy.
What started as fostering turned into something permanent.
Now, Drummy is a beloved member of the family — safe, healthy and surrounded by love every day.
“We couldn’t be prouder of him,” Thomson said. “And we’re so happy he’s here to stay.”