While walking around their neighborhood, two teenage boys noticed a group of people gathered around a car. Curious, they moved closer, trying to figure out what had captured everyone’s attention. What they saw was one of the most unusual and distressing sights they had ever encountered.
Lying there, completely still, was a small creature—an animal so motionless and covered in a strange substance that it was nearly unrecognizable. The teens realized that they had to act fast if they were going to save it, but they had no idea how to help the poor animal. What they didn’t know at that moment was that their quick thinking and bravery would soon be praised by everyone around them.
According to CBC, a Canadian news outlet, the two boys, Jaydon Pettipas and Aidan Hart, made the startling discovery near the town of Saint Andrews in New Brunswick. As they approached the crowd, they saw that the animal, which appeared to be a squirrel, was stuck beneath a car. But this was no ordinary situation—the squirrel was covered from head to tail in a thick layer of insulating foam and was frozen in place.
“It was unrecognizable,” 15-year-old Jaydon recalled in his interview with CBC Canada. The boys were quick to realize that the squirrel’s time was running out, but they had no clue how to free the animal from the strange substance that had it trapped.
Not wanting to leave the squirrel in such a dire state, the teens ran into a nearby grocery store and grabbed a small milk crate, hoping to use it to safely transport the squirrel. They knew the animal needed help, but they weren’t sure how to give it the care it required. As time passed, the situation grew more desperate. No one in the crowd seemed to know what to do either, and the teens began to fear that the squirrel might not survive.
Desperate for guidance, they reached out to their friends and family, pleading for someone to help them figure out how to save the creature. That’s when Jaydon’s mother stepped in. She quickly called a veterinarian, located about 20 miles away, and explained the situation. The vet, Dr. Melanie Eagan from the St. George Veterinary Clinic, urged them to bring the squirrel in immediately.
“This is unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Dr. Eagan told CBC when the boys finally arrived with the squirrel. The poor creature was so heavily covered in insulation foam that it could barely move its back legs. Dr. Eagan explained that if the boys had not acted as quickly as they did, the squirrel would have likely died. The vet suspected that the squirrel had wandered into someone’s shed, garage, or basement and had become entangled in the foam insulation by accident.
The animal probably ran through the insulation while it was still wet, most likely while someone was sealing up a hole to keep out a draft. The foam hardens quickly, so the squirrel would have soon become distressed and immobilized. Dr. Eagan said it required a lot of patience and rubbing alcohol to carefully remove the foam from the squirrel’s fur. Unfortunately, the squirrel lost some of its fur during the process, but it was a small price to pay for its survival.
After its ordeal, the squirrel made a full recovery and was eventually released back into the wild. Thanks to the quick actions of these two brave teens and the support of their family, the animal was given a second chance at life. Their story serves as a reminder of the importance of kindness and the impact that even small acts of compassion can have. Let’s spread the word to honor their efforts and celebrate the good deeds of Jaydon and Aidan!
