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.

  任何狗狗的爱心和忠诚都如同奇迹一般打动人心。但这只名叫“梅森”的混血猎犬却是世界上最大的奇迹。

  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.

  这只长腿狗狗住在阿拉巴马州的北史密斯，去年春天飓风来袭时，它的家人把它关在了车库里，原以为这样就能安全了。但飓风还是轰开了库门，梅森不见了。

  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.

  那场飓风夺走了很多人的生命。虽然房屋一篇狼藉，但梅森一家都活了下来，为此他们倍感幸运。可是，一想到他们可爱的狗狗就这么死了，他们又都心碎不已。他们在小区周围四处寻找，期待看到狗狗梅森的身影，但毫无音讯。

  Until he did.

  直到狗狗梅森出现。

  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?

  飓风过后的第三个星期，梅森一家来到老屋废墟收拾财物，讶然发现狗狗就坐在门廊台阶上——看到熟悉的家人时，它欣喜若狂，整个身体都扑了过来。所有人都惊喜交加。暴风雨肆掠的时候，它是躲在哪儿的呢？这些天来，它又是怎么活下来的？还有，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.

  这些问题无从解答，但这些都不重要了。梅森看上去瘦骨如柴，站都站不稳。于是，一家人赶快寻求帮助。很快他们就得知，因为腿断了，这只狗是一点一点爬回家的。“它应该是用骨关节爬回来的吧。” 动物收容所的菲尔·多斯特推测说。

  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.

  这些天来，多斯特一直在帮助人们找回丢失的宠物。一看到勇敢的梅森，他立刻就喜欢上了。于是，他联系了在伯明翰的火山公园动物护理中心工作的威廉·兰姆。兰姆免费给梅森动了手术，给它植入了两根金属条，还镶了17颗螺丝钉——这耗费了三个多小时。

  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.

  因为梅森的伤情比较严重，所以要数周的时间才能康复。不过，到9月份和家人团聚时，它已经完全能活蹦乱跳了。“根本没有一点后遗症，这可真是个奇迹。”多斯特说。

  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.

  护理中心还在Facebook给梅森开了一个网页。很多人都被它九死一生、忠心归家的故事深深打动了。