The owners of a house in Florida, USA, moved a few weeks ago. But the faithful dog had been sitting outside their house the whole time. He had chosen a spot near the fence, and every day he looked around – hoping his owners would come for him soon. But there was no one.

“He was very protective of his yard,” Everglades Angels staff member Denise Guevara told The Dodo. “He basically was guarding his property, but not, you know, aggressively or ferociously.”

As time passed, the dog grew thin, battered, and sad. His hopes faded. People noticed something was wrong with the dog and reported him to the local Everglades Angels rescue center. A staff member named Gloria immediately responded, knowing that the dog needed help right away. She arrived and tried to lure him out with treats but the faithful dog refused to leave his yard.

“He is a volunteer favorite,” Guevara said. “From what we were able to gather, he grew up with a family.”

Only a few days later she managed to lure him out, and the employee took him to the shelter. There the dog was given the nickname Salvatore. At first, he was a little shy, but then he started to socialize and become friends with everyone. The volunteers were amazed at how sweet, kind, and outgoing he was and could not comprehend how this adorable creature could be left to fend for himself. He became a real favorite of the whole orphanage.

“He’s really, really a sweetheart,” Guevara said.
But now Salvatore has a new life waiting for him. For now, he lives in the shelter, but they have already started looking for permanent homes for him and all the staff hopes that he will find a loving family very soon. Thank you for saving this beautiful boy!