Former owner reveals story behind viral photo of dog abandoned at fire hydrant
WASHINGTON (TND) — A photo of a dog tied to a fire hydrant in Green Bay, Wis. went viral this week, prompting both angry and positive responses from the public.
Now, the dog's former owner explains why she tied her pooch Baby Girl to a hydrant in a residential neighborhood, along with a backpack full of all of her favorite things.
"I called, oh God seven, places," the former owner, who wished to remain anonymous for safety concerns stemming from the viral photo, told CNN. "I called everybody to see if I could give her up, you know, will somebody, please take her?"
The owner, who is living on the streets and going through chemotherapy, says she did what she thought best for Baby Girl.
I begged the animal shelter to please take her in," the former owner said. "I'm surrendering her. I don't have an option. I don't have a choice and they would not take her. They gave me a date. You can bring her in on the 12th."
The 12th wasn't going to work with her current living situation, she says.
So, she tied Baby Girl to the hydrant in an area where she would be quickly found and wouldn't be hit by a car, and hid down the block to make sure the dog was OK.
"It was the worst, it was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life," she said, "When I put her on the hydrant, I just saw her face that she was like, mom, what, what, what's going on here? She was my life, but I know she's going to be in a better place. I do. I hope she find a fantastic family. She deserves it."
The Wisconsin Humane Society posted about the viral photo on Facebook, praising the former owner for how she handled the situation, in a post written to the owner:
First and foremost, we are so sorry you had to part with your best friend. It’s evident just how much you loved her and we can see you did your best while struggling with your own medical complications and challenges of life. We see your love in the bag you carefully packed with all of her favorite things. We see your love in the way you secured her leash so she wouldn’t get hit by a car. We see your love in the way you placed her in the middle of a neighborhood where she’d be quickly found. We see your love in how happy and healthy Baby Girl looks. And we see your love in the note you left, pleading for someone to help her when you no longer could.
"While we’ll never let fees be a barrier and we welcome anonymous surrenders, we see that you did what you thought was best for your beloved pup and we are grateful for your compassion. Rest assured that she’s safe, she’s getting tons of attention from our team, and she’s on track to find her next loving family very soon. We wish you all the best and hope that if you see this, you can rest a little easier knowing your Baby Girl has a bright future ahead."
Baby Girl is under the care of the Wisconsin Humane Society, which plans to make the dog available for adoption soon.
"Just forgive me and bless and bless Baby Girl, make sure she's OK," the former owner said.
Giving up a pet can be a traumatic experience, but the Humane Society says people bring their pets to them directly and anonymously.
