When someone abandons their pet, it is always painful. Even if you are unable to care for your pet, it is your obligation to surrender it to a shelter or find it a new home.
However, one devastating viral image depicts an abandoned tiny puppy tethered to a fire hydrant by her former owner. Fortunately, the dog is now in good hands.
Baby Girl, a brown mixed-breed, was left tethered to a yellow fire hydrant in Green Bay, Wisconsin. According to WFRV Local 5, the dog came with a message indicating that the owners could no longer care for the dog, as well as a backpack containing the dog’s treats, toys, and food.
While it’s apparent the owners had their reasons and believed they were doing responsibly, Kyle Rose Engelhardt, a local lady who found the puppy and publicized the tale on Facebook, was taken aback.
She expressed her heartbreak at discovering Baby Girl in this condition, writing, “Cannot believe someone could do this,” and asked if anybody knew the abandoned puppy.
Kylie phoned the cops and took Baby Girl to the Wisconsin Humane Society, who took the unfortunate puppy in and said she is currently “doing wonderful” while in stray hold.
While this was hardly the most ethical way to let go of a dog, and many people were outraged by the tale, the Humane Society was more sympathetic to the owners, addressing them personally 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 emphasizes that anonymous surrenders are welcome and that surrender costs will not be a deterrent, the owners were ultimately “grateful for your kindness.”
They said that Baby Girl is now receiving a lot of attention from the caregivers and has a “promising future ahead of her.”
We’re sure Baby Girl was distraught and bewildered after being left alone for so long. But it’s clear that the owners couldn’t care for her any longer, and everything worked out in the end.
We hope Baby Girl is doing well and will soon find a better family environment.