It’s always heartbreaking when someone abandons their pet. Even if you can no longer care for your pet, it’s your responsibility to properly surrender it to a shelter or find them a new home.
But one heartbreaking viral photo shows an abandoned little dog left tied to a fire hydrant by her former owner. Thankfully, the dog is now in safe hands.
The dog, a tan mixed-breed named Baby Girl, was left tied up to a yellow fire hydrant in Green Bay, Wisconsin. According to WFRV Local 5, the dog had a note explaining that the owners could no longer care for the dog, along with a backpack full of the dog’s treats, toys and food.
While it’s clear the owners had their reasons and thought they were doing the responsible thing, it didn’t make it any less of a shock for Kyle Rose Engelhardt, a local woman who found the dog and shared the story on Facebook.
She said seeing Baby Girl like this broke her heart: “Cannot believe someone could do this,” she wrote, asking if anyone recognized the abandoned dog.
Kylie called the police and took Baby Girl to the Wisconsin Humane Society, who took the poor dog into their care and say that she is now “doing great” while in stray hold.
While this wasn’t the most responsible way to part with a dog and many people reacted to the story with outrage, the Humane Society was more sympathetic to the owners, addressing them directly in a Facebook post:
First and foremost, we are so sorry you had to part with your best friend. It’s evident just how much you loved her and we can see you did your best while struggling with your own medical complications and challenges of life. We see your love in the bag you carefully packed with all of her favorite things. We see your love in the way you secured her leash so she wouldn’t get hit by a car. We see your love in the way you placed her in the middle of a neighborhood where she’d be quickly found. We see your love in how happy and healthy Baby Girl looks. And we see your love in the note you left, pleading for someone to help her when you no longer could.
While the Humane Society points out that they allow anonymous surrenders and that they won’t let surrender fees “be a barrier,” they told the owners they were ultimately “grateful for your compassion.”
They wrote that Baby Girl is now getting lots of attention from the staff, and that she has a “bright future ahead.”
Poor Baby Girl — we’re sure she was so heartbroken and confused after being left alone like that. But still, it’s apparent that the owners couldn’t care for her anymore, and everything worked out okay in the end.
We hope Baby Girl is doing well and finds a better home situation soon.
Please share this story to spread the word about this beautiful dog!
