As the owner of a dog ranch with six of her own and three foster dogs, Kerstie Highfill is no stranger to wagging tails and frequent barking. Unfortunately, the morning of March 11 didn’t exactly start the way she had planned, as she discovered an unexpected addition to her brood.
After letting her dogs outside, Highfill, of Oklahoma, got an alert from her security camera about a suspected animal at the gate. When she checked the footage on her phone, she was greeted by the sight of her dogs barking at another dog through the fence.
Highfill told Newsweek that she “wasn’t immediately concerned” because, unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for dogs to wander up to her property. Highfill lives on the Red Bud Dog Ranch in a rural area, and dog walkers often let their pups roam the surrounding land.
But after Highfill took care of her nine dogs, she checked the camera once again and saw that the puppy was still curled up by the gate almost an hour later.
“That’s when I knew something wasn’t right,” Highfill said. “When I went down to check on him, I realized he was just a scared, harmless puppy. He was wearing a collar, so at first, I hoped he belonged to someone nearby. My home was already full, but I couldn’t leave him there to fend for himself.”
The puppy was taken up to the house, and Highfill contacted Save Our Animals Rescue Society for guidance, and they stepped in to help. Highfill filed a report for a found dog with the Oklahoma City Shelter, as well as sharing it on various websites and Facebook groups. The Rottweiler puppy, named Carl, was also taken to the vet, where it was confirmed that he didn’t have a microchip.
“I don’t know how he ended up here. My camera only picked him up once he was already in the driveway, so I’m not sure where he came from or why he chose my property. Most of my neighbors have fenced, locked gates, so it’s surprising he stayed—especially with my dogs barking at him,” Highfill said.
Of course, Highfill was cautious about taking in a puppy at first, especially with nine dogs already in her care. She didn’t know if Carl had fleas, worms or any viruses that could be transmitted. Once she’d quarantined Carl and discovered just how sweet and gentle he is, she knew she wanted to help.
Highfill would love to keep Carl permanently, but with nine dogs already, she has made the decision to foster him until he finds a forever home. Thankfully, he has received an extraordinary number of applications already and Save Our Animals Rescue Society are working through his best options.
“He is incredibly sweet—he goes up to the other dogs and licks their faces, like he’s asking to be accepted. He’s very playful, happy-go-lucky, and easygoing. He doesn’t jump up and is already nearly potty trained,” Highfill said.
“Save Our Animals Rescue Society didn’t hesitate to take Carl in, even as a newer rescue with limited resources. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to keep him—caring for that many dogs adds up quickly. They’ve covered all his veterinary care, including scheduling his neuter, and are also managing the large number of adoption applications.”
Highfill shared footage of the moment she found Carl outside her home on social media (@theredbuddogranch on Instagram and TikTok) and it’s melted hearts across the internet. In just a matter of days, the video showing what she “did not expect to see” first thing in the morning has generated over 4 million views on Instagram and more than 850,100 views on TikTok at the time of writing.
The online response is beyond anything Highfill imagined, but she hopes it may even encourage others to take a chance on an animal in need, whether that’s fostering, adopting, or just doing their research before getting a pet.
Highfill told Newsweek: “I encourage anyone who’s been following Carl’s story to consider supporting their local shelters and rescues. There are so many dogs like him waiting for a second chance. Sharing stories like his is a big part of why I started The Red Bud Dog Ranch, to give people a real look into life with rescue dogs and help more of them find homes.”
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