Driving along the streets of southern Miami on her way home from the gym, Adriana Figueroa was heartbroken when she glimpsed a little brown dog by the side of the road.
As she approached, she noticed the dog was staring into the distance, as if anticipating that his former family’s car would appear on the horizon at any moment.
“It was like they left him there,” Figueroa told The Dodo. “And he was waiting for them to come back.”
Sadly, this wasn’t the first time Figueroa had spotted an abandoned dog in her neighborhood. In southern Miami where Figueroa lives, it’s common to see pets left to fend for themselves. That’s why, two years ago, Figueroa started getting involved in rescues.
“I always find dumped dogs,” Figueroa said. “I always have dog food in my car, and recently I put in a medium crate.”
Figueroa made a video documenting the dog’s rescue here:
Figueroa spent two hours patiently coaxing the little pup into the safety of her car.
At first, the cautious dog, later named Melo, avoided Figueroa’s care and refused to eat. But after about an hour, his affectionate side began to shine through as he started to trust his new friend.
“He was super loving,” Figueroa said. “Loved to be pet.”
After searching for his owners and determining that Melo was, indeed, abandoned, Figueroa began trying to find him a permanent family.
Luckily, her search didn’t take long. Soon, someone in her network saw a photo of the pup and reached out about adoption.
“It was perfect!” Figueroa said.
Settled into his new home, Melo is enjoying all the comforts a permanent family has to offer, resting easy in the knowledge that these new loved ones will never leave him behind.