When Kylie Rose Engelhardt came across a dog tied to a fire hydrant, she assumed the owner would be back in a little while.
But an hour went by and no one ever came back for the pup named Baby Girl.
“[I] sat outside with her for an hour keeping her warm waiting for someone to come back but no one did,” Engelhardt wrote on Facebook.
Next to Baby Girl was a backpack. After an hour, Engelhardt decided to open that backpack and found food, treats, toys, and a heartwrenching note explaining why the dog had been abandoned.
Engelhardt posted pictures of the dog on Facebook to see if anyone recognized it but no one did. She was left with no choice other than to bring the dog to the Wisconsin Humane Society.
“I did my best, everyone,” Engelhardt wrote. “Trust me, it breaks my heart, too.”
Eventually, it was discovered why Baby Girl had been abandoned.
The owner was a homeless woman who was going through chemotherapy and could no longer care for her dog because of her medical condition. Giving up her dog was the very last thing she wanted to do.
The former owner called seven different places to see if they would take her dog.
She begged an animal shelter to take the dog, telling them she had no choice.
They told her that she could bring in the dog but she had to wait until the 12th, which the woman could not.
So, she had no other options than to leave her tied to the hydrant in a place she knew she would be safe from traffic and where she would quickly be found.
“It was the worst, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” she told ABC 13 News. “When I put her on the hydrant, I just saw her face that she was like, mom, what, what, what’s going on here? She was my life, but I know she’s going to be in a better place. I do. I hope she find a fantastic family. She deserves it.”
The Wisconsin Humane Society ended up writing a heartwarming viral Facebook post thanking the owner for doing the best they could for their dog after many vilified the owner online.
That post was liked more than 18,000 times and shared more than 3,000 times.
“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,” they wrote.
They went on to acknowledge the careful way Baby Girl was safely tied and placed in a populated neighborhood.
“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 we’ll never let fees be a barrier and we welcome anonymous surrenders, we see that you did what you thought was best for your beloved pup and we are grateful for your compassion.”
The Humane Society assured the owner that Baby Girl was safe and getting lots of love and attention.
Baby Girl had to undergo a “stray hold” but would soon be put up for adoption.
“She’s on track to find her next loving family very soon,” their post said. “We wish you all the best and hope that if you see this, you can rest a little easier knowing your Baby Girl has a bright future ahead.”
After the story went viral, the Humane Society was also able to share some resources the community offered with the owner.
Baby Girl is expected to be placed for adoption with a family who will be able to care for her medical needs. She was discovered to have Diabetes mellitus but is doing very well.
Learn more about her story in the video below.
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