A dog found living on the street after his family ‘moved away and abandoned him’ was rescued by a passer-by – but has been waiting for a new home for months.
Initially things looked bleak for the 8-year-old pooch, who lay in the dirt for months behind a warehouse in California, across the street from his former home.
He had no food or water, relying on the good will of passing truck drivers to give him sustenance.
But the landscape company who owned the building he slept behind had a duty to clear the area of trash, meaning his makeshift water bowls would be taken away frequently.
A delivery driver who noticed the dog had been there for a long time created an Instagram account in June and dedicated it to the ‘poor old boy’ she would see on her route.
‘Every day I see him hungry and thirsty waiting for any truck driver with enough heart to give him something to eat or drink,’ she wrote.
‘It breaks my heart and I wish I could help him but my situation simply will not allow me to bring him home.
‘It’s hot so I poured my last bottle of water in a styrofoam hamburger container. I can go and get food and water; he cannot. If you know anyone that can help him please tag them.’
The social media profile caught the attention of Love Leo Rescue, whose volunteers managed to coax the dog into their car and drive him two hours to the centre, the Dodo reports.
Rescuers, who named the dog Larry, noticed that despite his lack of food and water, his stomach was quite bloated.
A trip to the vets revealed that Larry had Cushing’s disease and for a month and a half he lived at the vet clinic while getting used to his medication.
“In that time he was kind of sad, and a little depressed and reactive with other dogs,” Sasha Abelson, president of the rescue centre, told the Dodo.
As the medication began to work, Larry’s personality was revealed and he became much happier – and was moved to a doggy day care centre.
Larry’s health issues are now managed by monthly medication, which will cost his owner $180 a month.
This has meant it’s proved more difficult than initially thought to find him a ‘forever home’ – despite intense interest from the media and on the internet.
“Not everyone wants a dog with an automatic expense attached,” Abelson said. “And he doesn’t like being alone, but he’s been abandoned, so we can’t really blame him for that.”
The rescue centre is waiting for the perfect person to adopt Larry