Mason the Miracle Dog

死里逃生的忠犬梅森

Any dog’s love and loyalty can feel like a miracle. By that measure, Mason, a one-year-old terrier mix, may be the most miraculous dog on Earth.

任何狗狗的愛心和忠誠都如同奇跡一般打動人心。但這只名叫“梅森”的混血獵犬卻是世界上最大的奇跡。

The long-legged pup in North Smithfield, Alabama, rode out a tornado in his family’s garage last spring. His family thought he would be safe there, but the tornado blasted through the garage door and Mason disappeared.

這只長腿狗狗住在阿拉巴馬州的北史密斯，去年春天颶風來襲時，它的家人把它關在了車庫里，原以為這樣就能安全了。但颶風還是轟開了庫門，梅森不見了。

Dozens of people perished that day from the twister. Mason’s family was grateful just to be alive, even if the storm had left their home uninhabitable. But they were heartbroken at the thought that their sweet, playful companion had died. They combed the neighborhood, hoping by chance to find him, but Mason didn’t turn up.

那場颶風奪走了很多人的生命。雖然房屋一篇狼藉，但梅森一家都活了下來，為此他們倍感幸運。可是，一想到他們可愛的狗狗就這么死了，他們又都心碎不已。他們在小區周圍四處尋找，期待看到狗狗梅森的身影，但毫無音訊。

Until he did.

直到狗狗梅森出現。

Three weeks after the disaster, Mason’s family stopped by the house to collect some belongings. There Mason sat on the front porch, so ecstatic to see his family that his entire body was wagging. They were overjoyed. Where had Mason landed during the windstorm? What did he eat for those long weeks? How did he find his way back home?

颶風過后的第三個星期，梅森一家來到老屋廢墟收拾財物，訝然發現狗狗就坐在門廊臺階上——看到熟悉的家人時，它欣喜若狂，整個身體都撲了過來。所有人都驚喜交加。暴風雨肆掠的時候，它是躲在哪兒的呢?這些天來，它又是怎么活下來的?還有，它又是怎么找回家的?

There was no answer to those questions and no time to ponder. Mason was terribly thin and couldn’t stand properly. The family quickly sought help and learned their beloved dog had crawled home on broken front legs. “He was literally on his elbows,” says Phil Doster, adoption rescue coordinator for the animal shelter that assessed Mason.

這些問題無從解答，但這些都不重要了。梅森看上去瘦骨如柴，站都站不穩。于是，一家人趕快尋求幫助。很快他們就得知，因為腿斷了，這只狗是一點一點爬回家的。“它應該是用骨關節爬回來的吧。” 動物收容所的菲爾·多斯特推測說。

Doster had spent days reuniting pets with their owners and took an instant liking to the courageous terrier. He contacted Dr. William Lamb of Vulcan Park Animal Care in Birmingham, who volunteered to perform the needed surgery for free. Lamb inserted two metal plates and 17 screws in an operation that lasted more than three hours.

這些天來，多斯特一直在幫助人們找回丟失的寵物。一看到勇敢的梅森，他立刻就喜歡上了。于是，他聯系了在伯明翰的火山公園動物護理中心工作的威廉·蘭姆。蘭姆免費給梅森動了手術，給它植入了兩根金屬條，還鑲了17顆螺絲釘——這耗費了三個多小時。

Mason’s injuries were so significant that he required weeks of recovery to heal. By the time he returned home to his family in September, he was bouncing around like a puppy again. “There were no ill effects whatsoever, which is a miracle in itself,” Doster says.

因為梅森的傷情比較嚴重，所以要數周的時間才能康復。不過，到9月份和家人團聚時，它已經完全能活蹦亂跳了。“根本沒有一點后遺癥，這可真是個奇跡。”多斯特說。

The clinic set up a Facebook page for Mason. It attracted fans all over the world, drawn to the story of a little dog’s triumph over a deadly force.

護理中心還在Facebook給梅森開了一個網頁。很多人都被它九死一生、忠心歸家的故事深深打動了。