Salvatore was unaffected even though no one had entered the Florida house in weeks. The dog guarded the foreclosed home daily and waited patiently in the grass outside the door for his family to come home.
Gloria Cabal, a local dog rescuer, saw Salvatore at his station and realized she had to step in.
Salvatore was a frightened dog that refused to give up his yard, despite Cabal’s best efforts for more than a month to entice him to her.
Salvatore realized his family was not returning when a new realtor pushed him into a neighboring park. Salvatore approached Cabal and allowed her to bring him to the Everglades Angels Dog Rescue for protection.
“He was very protective of his yard,” Everglades Angels staff member Denise Guevara said. “He basically was guarding his property, but not, you know, aggressively or ferociously.”
Salvatore rapidly warmed up to the helpful crew after feeling secure at the rescue. The dog, who loved people, had been abandoned, and the Everglades Angels staff members were brokenhearted.
“He is a volunteer favorite,” Guevara said. “From what we were able to gather, he grew up with a family.”
Salvatore, who had previously avoided interacting with strangers, became one of the shelter’s friendliest residents by persistently pleading for petting and jumping up on couches to cuddle on people’s laps.
Guevara added, “He’s really, really a sweetheart.”
Salvatore is available for adoption through Everglades Angels, and the organization’s staff is confident he will be adopted soon.
Salvatore will be given a second opportunity with a family who will never abandon him because so many compassionate animal lovers who cared about animals refused to give up.
SOURCE: THE DODO
