WEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A new video captures the moment a dog was left stranded on the streets of West Miami-Dade, but a community came together to find it a forever home.
Footage from a nearby home’s Ring doorbell camera captures a white sedan approaching a neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon. The driver steps out and removes the dog from the car.
The confused canine tried to get back into the car, circling it and getting onto its two legs as it tried to figure out why the owner wasn’t helping it.
But moments later, the driver takes off, leaving the dog behind.
Things, however, ended up on a positive note after a good Samaritan stepped in to rescue the stranded dog.
The homeowner, Abraham Siu, watched the video playback, posted it on social media, and ran outside to comfort the animal.
“I thought it was crazy. These types of stories, you kind of hear people drop them off in a remote area where there’s nobody, but to see it here in a residential area is uncommon,” said Siu.
He said he was shocked to see what had occurred.
“You can hear him breathing very fast, so he must have been like anxious or nervous,” said Siu.
That’s when Bajas, a groomer at Wag Spot, saw the video on social media and reached out to the homeowner to offer help to the abandoned dog.
“I saw the video, and I posted it, ‘Hey, do you guys need help? If you guys want to get this dog adopted, I’m up to give him a free bath or some grooming so he can get nice and clean,’ because every dog needs to get cleaned up,” she said.
A third person, Pastor Garcilazo, also spotted the video on the community app and rushed over to rescue the pup.
“When I saw the video, I was like, ‘This can’t be possible. Why would someone do something like this? I didn’t understand it,” he said.
He took the dog to Wag Spot, where the team gave it a complete makeover.
The staff at Wag Spot groomed the dog, removing excess hair and bathing it. A video posted to social media shows the dog greeting those who groomed him and wagging its tail happily.
Garcilazo said he ultimately decided to adopt the dog and gave him a new name, “Leo.”
“I spent the whole afternoon with him, and I noticed he was very sweet and smart, and I decided to keep him,” he said.
Bajas said she was happy to help Leo with his makeover and is grateful to know he found new parents quickly.
“Out of all the bad things, Leo needed something good, and the good thing that I can provide was this service to him,” she said.
As for the person who abandoned the dog, their whereabouts remain unclear.
It’s also unclear whether they will face any charges. According to Florida law, animal abandonment is a first-degree misdemeanor.
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