DIY rescue: Northern doctor couldn't resist these puppy dog eyes

Playing fetch with her owner, Jesse Howatt, Sadie the puppy runs for the ball and, eventually, brings it back. Sadie has settled into her new life just outside Winnipeg with Howatt, his wife, and their little girl, but things could have been very different for the young dog.

Sadie is from the Northern community of Pukatawagan, Manitoba, where dogs often roam wild. Howatt, a doctor, flies into the remote community to work two or three times a month.

"This little puppy wandered its way over to the nursing station," said Howatt. "Then she was there the next day, and the day after that, and she was looking more and more thin and dirty and lonely and hungry."

The idea of the puppy grew on Howatt — her looking up at him with those puppy dog eyes didn't hurt — and on the last night he realized he didn't want to get on the plane without her. He called his wife to make sure it was okay to bring her home, and when she agreed, he did one last check to make sure he wasn't taking someone's pet. 

"I asked around the nursing station and no one seemed to know anyone who this dog belonged to, and they were all encouraging me to take her," Howatt said. "One of the nurses even washed her up for me."

He was able to borrow a crate and was set to take little Sadie on the two plane rides it would take to get her home to her new life. But at the last minute, a trauma victim came in and Howatt had to transport the patient on a Medevac helicopter to the hospital in The Pas.

Now that he was going to miss his flight home, Howatt thought he'd have to leave Sadie behind, but the nursing staff had other plans. They arranged for her to go on the plane with the community's dentist, who was also flying to The Pas. From there he was able to meet up with them, and take Sadie the rest of the way home.

"It was 11 at night by the time I got home," said Howatt. "We were both tired of travelling, and she was hungry and thirsty. We both were."

Since arriving in her new home, Sadie has been to the vet and is catching up on her vaccinations. She's an energetic and rambunctious puppy, and has fit right in with her new family. 

"I guess it was fate that brought us together, and it took some work to get her down here, and she's a great addition to our home," said Howatt. "She's our pup, she's our Sadie."