Last weekend, Justin Hanley from Philadelphia glanced outside and noticed a puppy tied to the railing near his front steps. Curious, he went out to investigate and found that the dog had been left with a plastic bag holding three slices of pizza and a note with a heart-wrenching plea:
“Please take me home. I’m a girl named Diamond. We can no longer keep her in our home. Thank you.”
“I believe because our house is in a busy area, Diamond’s owner likely thought she’d be found quickly,” Hanley, 34, shared with TODAY. “But seeing a dog left all by herself was quite shocking.”
Hanley and his wife took Diamond to the back of their house, offering her water and a proper meal. Initially, she appeared frightened, but after Hanley fed her and called her name, she began to relax.
“She responded well and was very affectionate,” Hanley recalled.
Not sure how to proceed, he turned to a neighborhood Facebook page for advice, posting, “Who handles abandoned/lost dogs? SPCA?? This is heartbreaking stuff.”
Advice and offers of assistance quickly poured in.
“Within minutes, I knew that Diamond would have no trouble finding the home she deserves,” Hanley said.
About three hours later, volunteers with a New Jersey-based animal rescue group called Don’t Bully Us picked up Diamond and brought her to a foster home. The home is on a lake, and there is another puppy there to play with. Diamond has been renamed Serenity. She is up for adoption.
In the meantime, Hanley has gotten some updates: Serenity — who is believed to be 3 months old based on her teeth and paw size — is very happy, and doing well in her foster home.
It’s hard not to reflect on the desperation someone must have felt to abandon a puppy in such a heartbreaking (and illegal) manner. Yet, in the midst of it all, Serenity was fortunate to have an entire community rallying to ensure she’d be taken to a safe place.
“While I could never abandon a puppy like that, I can’t even fathom what must have been happening in their life to make such a decision,” Hanley said. “She was such a sweet pup.”
