Many people who abandon dogs simply let them go and refuse to take them back.
Some dump their pets in unfamiliar places so that the pet can’t find their way back, either kicking them out of a car and speeding off or leaving them somewhere caged.
Fern’s former caretaker tied her to a mile marker on Chapel Lane in Greenport, New York. She was wearing a red collar with no tags, attached to a red leash, tied to the post and abandoned.
She couldn’t leave. She couldn’t seek shelter. The tiny, senior chihuahua had lived this long only to be dumped in her twilight years, easy prey to anything that might cross paths with her.
But Officer James Crosser spotted her early in the morning and she was saved. When he found her, she had two small wounds.
“The dog appeared to have wounds on its body and head,” Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley said, according to Patch.
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Fern was taken to the North Fork Animal Welfare League (NFAWL), where she received vet care and a bath. Gabrielle Stroup with NFAWL said the small dog spent quite a bit of time napping after her harrowing ordeal.
Safe, clean and fed, Fern was comfortable — but the next order of business was to find a suitable home for the senior dog. She’d need someone who understood what she’d been through, someone willing to provide her with a bit of pampering for the few years she had left.
And who better than the man who saved her in the first place?
On Saturday, June 19, Officer Crosser and his wife, Olivia, went to the shelter to pick up Fern and take her home.
“They were all grinning ear to ear,” Stroup said. “It brought tears to our eyes and seeing how happy the two of them are to welcome her into their home is heartwarming — a great ending!”
“A very happy ending to a sad story,” the NFAWL posted on Facebook. “Little Fern was found on June 18th tied to a mile marker in greenport.
“STPD Officer Crosser found her and brought her to the shelter. She has been at the shelter getting the necessary vet care and today officer Crosser and his wife have officially adopted Fern !!!!!”
The Southold Town Police Benevolent Association shared the welfare league’s post, adding in their own commendation.
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“Fern is in fantastic hands!!” they wrote.
“The whole staff thinks it’s a great end to a very sad situation,” Stroup said, according to Patch. “It is nice to see how much they already seem to care for her.”
Based on the number of positive comments and people thanking Crosser for saving the dog and then making her part of his family, many people have agreed that “it’s a great end to a very sad situation.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.