It was a cold, rainy day in Sacramento when the local fire department discovered a heartbreaking sight.
The No.14 crew had been on their way to a call when they spotted a 3-month-old pitbull puppy that had been tied to a tree, abandoned, and left to freeze in the rain.
Although they couldn’t stop before attending to their call, they vowed to return on their way back to the station to help the little pup.
One firefighter, Mike Thawley, even suggested they should double back and scoop up the pup.
The firefighters gave the pitbull, later named Chunk, a warm bath and plenty of love and cuddles. Her legs were swollen and covered in scabs, and she had lost most of her hair due to mange, a common skin ailment in mistreated dogs. After some immediate care, they took her to the Front Street Animal Shelter so she could receive further treatment and hopefully find a home.
The staff at the shelter started to treat Chunk’s mange and put her in some warm clothes until her hair had grown back. Although her mange was a mild, non-contagious type, her recovery and rehabilitation were still going to take some time. Unable to stop thinking about her, Mike Thawley returned to the shelter the next day.
Chunk had clearly not forgotten her savior, and greeted him with so much enthusiasm.
“We all just kind of fell in love with her,” Thawley said about the firefighter rescue that night.
But the rescue didn’t end there.
When Thawley returned yet again to the shelter with his wife and three daughters to see the pitbull puppy, it seemed like it wasn’t just Mike who was being won over by this bundle of joy.
Check out a clip of the visit below:
“Although Mike denies it, it appears by a vote of four to one that Chunk might wind up with a permanent home!” said the post on the Sacramento Fire Department Facebook page.
It seemed like the post was right.
It was a no-brainer for the Thawley family to start an adoption process and welcome Chunk into their family home.
After waiting four months for her mange treatment to be completed as well receiving as a full bill of health, they were able to pick up their adopted pup and take her home. It was then they named her Chunk.
Here they are picking her up to bring her home:
Front Street AnimalShelter spokesperson Bobby Mann said:
“I think what’s great about this whole story is that not only did this dog find its forever home, but had the opportunity to go to a foster home, which we’re always looking for at our shelter, to get happy and healthy.”
Check out the video below to learn more about this adorable rescue story!
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