A resident of Franklin, Indiana, was walking down the street one day when they noticed something strange: it was a dog walking alone.
The passerby went up to the friendly dog and realized she had a message in a bottle on her collar. The message explained where the pup had come from.
While there are sadly many reasons someone needs to surrender a pet, the most humane thing you can do is take them to a shelter, where you know at least that they will be safe.
But through reasons unexplained, the dog’s former person decided to abandon their dog right on the streets, with a little note to explain how loved she had been.
Thankfully, the German Shepherd mix named Roadie was found by a kind passerby, who immediately noticed the message in a bottle which was tied around the dog’s neck.
The stranger called Michael Delp, the director of Johnson County Animal Control, who immediately headed out to rescue the dog.
When he read through the note, he discovered that Roadie had initially come from a loving home, but sadly, her owner simply couldn’t provide for her anymore.
“When I read the note, [I felt] two emotions: one, if it is legit, my heart goes out to that individual,” Michael told The Dodo. “If it was not legit, [I felt] anger that someone would manufacture an excuse to abandon their dog that was designed to elicit sympathy.”
He continued by saying:
“As it turns out, from our investigation, the note was completely legit. We were able to ascertain who the owner was and get that individual the help that was desperately needed.”
But Roadie’s story was far from over. Thankfully the sweet dog was in perfect health, and it turned out that she was going to be rehomed much sooner than expected.
Jeremy Pell was the chief of the White River Township Fire Department and a reserve sheriff deputy.
As soon as he came across Roadie’s heartbreaking story, he realized that the dog would be perfect to train up in search and rescue.
“I opened up the news and saw Roadie,” Jeremy told The Dodo. “I saw the breed and the story and the fact that she is literally in my backyard.”
Jeremy went straight to the shelter to evaluate Roadie and was pleased to see that she was easily passing her tests.
He decided at that moment to adopt her.
“She’s bonded to me,” Jeremy said. “She looks to me for guidance and acceptance and she tries to do her job. She thinks that she should bark at people she doesn’t know, but when I tell her that it’s OK … I get these soulful, caring eyes and it’s almost as if she’s apologizing. She will sit beautifully, look me in the eye, lay her ears down and very slowly lift her paw up to touch me.”
But Roadie isn’t just a working dog – she’s also a part of the family.
And to make sure she fit in, Jeremy decided to give her a new name: Rosie Grace.
“All our dogs have middle names, so she’s Rosie Grace,” Jeremy said, “because it’s by God’s grace that she was found and got a new career, and we’re hoping to take her from rescued to rescuer.”
It’s been a little over a year since Rosie was adopted, and she’s doing great! She’s now a fully certified search and rescue dog, and she’s great at her job. She also loves spending time with Jeremy and her human siblings.
We’re so glad Rosie got a second chance with such a wonderful family.
If you want to see a video about Rosie, check it out below!
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