“He still loves people even though they’ve let him down in the past.”
A dog who was found living on the streets after his family moved away is looking for a new home after being rescued by kind-hearted strangers.
The eight-year-old labrador’s family had moved away – leaving him behind and with nowhere to go. He took up a spot in the parking lot of a landscaping business across the road; laying in the dirt and relying on passing truck drivers for access to food or water.
A delivery driver who noticed the dog had been there a while created an Instagram account in June, hoping to help the “poor old boy” she saw on her route find a forever home – or at least get some help.
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She wrote:
“Every day I see him hungry and thirsty waiting for any truck driver with enough heart to give him something to eat or drink.
“It breaks my heart and I wish I could help him but my situation simply will not allow me to bring him home.
“I’m going to post pictures of him daily as he is until someone with the heart and position to give him a loving home.”
Eventually, the social media profile captured the attention of Love Leo Rescue – and their volunteers were ready to do everything they could to help.
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Sasha Abelson, the president of Love Leo Rescue, told the Dodo:
“As soon as we saw [the posts] we said, ‘Just get the dog to us, we’ll take care of the rest.”
Volunteers were able to get the dog – who they later named Larry – into the car, driving him the two hours to the centre in Los Angeles.
There, rescuers noticed that he had a quite bloated stomach – despite the lack of food and water.
A trip to the vet revealed that Larry had Cushing’s disease, and he stayed at the clinic for a month and a half while he got used to his medication.
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“In that time he was kind of sad, and a little depressed and reactive with other dogs,” Abeclson said.
But as the medication began to work, more of Larry’s personality began to show and he became much happier – eventually leading to him being moved to a doggy daycare centre so he could spend more time outside.
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Larry’s health issues are managed by a monthly medication, which will cost his owners around $180 a month – and it has proven to be more difficult than initially thought to find him his forever home.
Abelson said:
“Not everyone wants a dog with an automatic expense attached. And he doesn’t like being alone, but he’s been abandoned, so we can’t really blame him for that.”
Larry has gone to a new home three times, but been returned to the shelter three times due to bad luck. Abelson praised the eight-year-old labrador for being “so resilient”, despite what had happened to him.
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She said:
“[He] doesn’t hold a grudge, and still loves people even though they’ve let him down in the past. He’s just a happy, grateful dog. He just wants someone to take care of him and be there for him.
Some dogs have a bad experience or are abandoned and it scars them for the rest of their lives but with him — he’s just so sweet, he needs someone to realize that.
“It’s a little bit like a Cinderella looking for her slipper. We know they’re out there and we’re willing to wait for the perfect person.”
The Love Leo Rescue centre is waiting for the perfect person to adopt Larry – if you live in the Los Angeles area, you can contact them here for more information.
