Each year, about two thousand animals end up in the shelter in Johnson County, Indiana. But the director Michael Delp said they had never come across an abandoned dog that way before.
The beautiful girl Roadie was found tied to a tree with a plastic bottle hanging from her neck. After closer inspection, the animal shelter workers noticed a note inside it. In a heartbreaking scribble, it said that Roadie’s “dad lost his job and his home from covid” and was no longer able to take care of her. Written in the first person, it also noted that Roadie is a dog full of energy, who used to be spoiled with food, her own couch, and a foam bed.
And there surely could have been a better and safer way to give up Roadie. With cases of people surrendering their pets during the pandemic soaring, the owners should have called the shelter. “Roadie could have been struck by a vehicle, could have been attacked by wolves or coyotes,” Michael warned, but admitted the note tugged at his heartstrings.
More info: JohnsonCountyAnimalShelter.com
This adorable German and Australian shepherd mix was found left abandoned with a plastic bottle tied to her neck
Image credits: Johnson County Animal Control
Upon closer inspection, the animal control officers found a note inside it
Image credits: Johnson County Animal Control
Written in the first person, the heartbreaking letter explained why the owner gave up Roadie
Image credits: Johnson County Animal Control
Luckily, she has been rescued by Johnson County animal shelter
Image credits: WTHR
As Michael Delp was reading the note, he felt torn by two emotions. “One, if it is legit, my heart goes out to that individual. If it was not legit, [I felt] anger that someone would manufacture an excuse to abandon their dog that was designed to elicit sympathy,” he told the press.
On the other hand, if the note is indeed true, Michael said that his heart would certainly go out to the person who wrote it.
But it doesn’t that mean the owner’s way of giving up Roadie is forgivable. Michael warned that releasing a dog out in the middle of nowhere could have ended very badly. “There’s all kinds of things that could happen to this animal. Struck by a vehicle or attacked by other animals,” he said.
He urged anyone who’s considering giving up their pet to call their local shelter.
Image credits: WTHR
Image credits: WTHR
The note also said that Roadie is a playful dog full of energy and had the basic veterinary needs taken care of
Image credits: WTHR
Luckily, after Johnson County shelter staff put up Roadie for adoption, they received more than 20 requests from people touched by the story.
But Jeremy Pell, a reserve sheriff deputy and the chief of the fire department, was just looking for a four-legged companion to train for search and rescue missions. He told the press that as “I opened up the news and saw Roadie, I saw the breed and the story and the fact that she is literally in my backyard.”
Jeremy ran some tests on Roadie, which she passed with flying colors, and it turned out she was the perfect match. Now, the beautiful girl is happy with her new career and a loving forever family.
But the shelter’s director Michael Delp said there could have surely been a better way to give up Roadie
Image credits: WTHR
Luckily, Jeremy Pell, the chief of the White River Township Fire Department, decided to adopt Roadie
Image credits: Jeremy Pell
It turns out, Jeremy has been searching for a dog to work in search and rescue, and this dog seemed perfect
Image credits: Jeremy Pell
And this is what people commented on Roadie’s case
No matter how difficult your life is you should never abandon a dog in this way. The owner could have brought the dog to a shelter but instead he choose to tie him to a tree and attach a note which basically says how good the former owner was. I don't believe this sob story.
There are better ways to give up your pet, but saying that we also need to take into account the mental condition Roadies dad was in at the time. None of us know what we will be like under extreme stress until we are there. Sometimes we are too far gone, at that moment, to think rationally. I hope Roadie and the former dad can find happiness.
With so many kill shelters around maybe he was afraid of that and hoped someone good would find her. Just a guess. I have had many dogs over the years, Several I found abandoned near the farm or left on a backroad. Never one with a message though.
This is what I was thinking too. Especially down south they have a 48-hour kill policy because there are so many dogs around. How can you consciously submit an animal you love to having the last two days of their life be behind bars and dying alone?
Load More Replies...
I'm not excusing his actions by any means, but it's possible he was afraid the local shelter would euthanize her and was hoping she would have better results if found by a private citizen. Our German shepherd nipped my young son in the face narrowly missing his eye. I loved her to pieces, but I knew our home was no longer a safe place for her or my son. Our local shelter was out of the question because, despite 2 years of formal socialization and training classes, she still wasn't great with other dogs. A shelter would have been hell for her. Fortunately, after some extensive networking, I was able to find a nice middle aged, childless couple who had recently lost their German Shepherd to cancer and felt ready to welcome a new one into their home. We have no idea how long this poor man spent trying to find a home for his dog or how desperate he actually was. It's a heartbreaking scenario no matter how you look at it.
I acquired a dog during the pandemic in very much the same way. Saw a dog tied to a tree with a note saying he needed a home because the owner couldn't afford him anymore. He was right down the road from our animal shelter. Our shelter charges for owner turn-ins. If you can't afford your dog, you probably can't afford the fees to surrender them to a shelter. I'm not excusing the fact that someone left their dog, but i do understand how difficult it must have been to have to let them go. I now have a very good boy & he now has a very good home.
I almost wonder if this was an incident where the person didn't have time (as in tossed out in the street) or someone he trusted to take the dog into a shelter. The pup seems really well taken care of and the owner definitely cared for her. No good dog owner would let their dog just roam like that unless there were extenuating circumstances.
Since the courts reopened, f*****g greedy landlords (I do NOT include awesome landlords, like my own) just could NOT wait to file all the evictions they had been piling up. And many of them had told (translation: lied to) tenants not to worry, that they’d work with them to get the overdue rent paid back! (How do I know this? I was working in property management before being exposed to COVID—-in the office—-and had to resign, because they wouldn’t allow me to go into full quarantine, and still expected me to still come in to the office!)
A lot of people are saying this was the wrong way to go about it, however, where i live, the shelter is always "full to capacity" so the only other option is the pound. I probably would have used a last resort measure such as this.
In all the rush to condemn whomever let this dog go, no one has even suggested that doing so to what was clearly a well-loved and cared for animal is akin to giving your kids away because you're going to kill yourself. Has anyone considered the possibility that the person who wrote that was SUICIDAL? I don't know that this story has as happy an ending as you all want so self-righteously to believe.
Don't be too hard on Roadie's owner. She was longing for some meaningful activity and a touch of discipline and her heart's desire has come true. Bless all three of them!
I feel sorry for anybody that has to give up their dog because of ill health or financial reasons but never ever give up your dog because its hard, you wouldn't do that to a kid. If you really cant look after your dog take it to a shelter. Simple.We need to stop thinking of dogs as stuff like a car or a Playstation Dogs are part of the family.
You just don't abandon your animal no matter what. Getting an animal is a lifelong commitment, their life. When they are hungry you feed them, when they are sick or hurt you take them to the vet, when they get old you reveal them from pain and suffering and let them die when it's time even though it's hard to let go and if you for any reason can't keep them your replace them or put them down. You never abandon them.
How can you tie your dog to a tree if you love it so much? I understand people needing to give up their pet, for whatever reason, but drop it of at a shelter! I seriously can’t imagine abandoning a pet in the middle of nowhere. He could get hurt or die!
I think that they did not want to leave their dog in a shelter because if the shelter was overcrowded, the dog could have been put down. They knew that the dog was a good fit for a family and that it could succeed in another home, so they did not want any risk of it being put down. However, the responsible thing to do is to put your dog in a shelter because it could be killed/injured, get other animals pregnant, taken to a bad home or starve if left to fend for itself on the streets. If you ever decide to get an animal and cannot take care of it anymore, be responsible and do not just set it free, even if it means making hard and heartbreaking decisions.
How can you abandon your dog liek that? HOW? If would move heaven and earth to find a good home for my pooch, if I was ever in the position that I cold no longer care for her. I would never sleep again,, if I didn''t knwo she was happy and much loved. Once my dog escaped from someone who was supposed to watch her while I was at the shops and wandered alone through the middle of busy Berlin. She was six months old, at the time. I found her after abouthalf an hour, but that must have been the longest half hour of my life!!! Fortunatelyy, it is a real happy end for the dog. Having a proper job is perfect for that kind of dog. And now I need to go cuddle my dog or Ill start to cry.
Fully support the death penalty for folks like this and those who abuse animals. Honestly not much else makes my blood boil more than to think about this. I admit it makes me a bit irrational but anyone that can so casually toss life aside isnt worthy of life themselves.
No matter how difficult your life is you should never abandon a dog in this way. The owner could have brought the dog to a shelter but instead he choose to tie him to a tree and attach a note which basically says how good the former owner was. I don't believe this sob story.
There are better ways to give up your pet, but saying that we also need to take into account the mental condition Roadies dad was in at the time. None of us know what we will be like under extreme stress until we are there. Sometimes we are too far gone, at that moment, to think rationally. I hope Roadie and the former dad can find happiness.
With so many kill shelters around maybe he was afraid of that and hoped someone good would find her. Just a guess. I have had many dogs over the years, Several I found abandoned near the farm or left on a backroad. Never one with a message though.
This is what I was thinking too. Especially down south they have a 48-hour kill policy because there are so many dogs around. How can you consciously submit an animal you love to having the last two days of their life be behind bars and dying alone?
Load More Replies... I'm not excusing his actions by any means, but it's possible he was afraid the local shelter would euthanize her and was hoping she would have better results if found by a private citizen. Our German shepherd nipped my young son in the face narrowly missing his eye. I loved her to pieces, but I knew our home was no longer a safe place for her or my son. Our local shelter was out of the question because, despite 2 years of formal socialization and training classes, she still wasn't great with other dogs. A shelter would have been hell for her. Fortunately, after some extensive networking, I was able to find a nice middle aged, childless couple who had recently lost their German Shepherd to cancer and felt ready to welcome a new one into their home. We have no idea how long this poor man spent trying to find a home for his dog or how desperate he actually was. It's a heartbreaking scenario no matter how you look at it.
I acquired a dog during the pandemic in very much the same way. Saw a dog tied to a tree with a note saying he needed a home because the owner couldn't afford him anymore. He was right down the road from our animal shelter. Our shelter charges for owner turn-ins. If you can't afford your dog, you probably can't afford the fees to surrender them to a shelter. I'm not excusing the fact that someone left their dog, but i do understand how difficult it must have been to have to let them go. I now have a very good boy & he now has a very good home.
I almost wonder if this was an incident where the person didn't have time (as in tossed out in the street) or someone he trusted to take the dog into a shelter. The pup seems really well taken care of and the owner definitely cared for her. No good dog owner would let their dog just roam like that unless there were extenuating circumstances.
Since the courts reopened, f*****g greedy landlords (I do NOT include awesome landlords, like my own) just could NOT wait to file all the evictions they had been piling up. And many of them had told (translation: lied to) tenants not to worry, that they’d work with them to get the overdue rent paid back! (How do I know this? I was working in property management before being exposed to COVID—-in the office—-and had to resign, because they wouldn’t allow me to go into full quarantine, and still expected me to still come in to the office!)
A lot of people are saying this was the wrong way to go about it, however, where i live, the shelter is always "full to capacity" so the only other option is the pound. I probably would have used a last resort measure such as this.
In all the rush to condemn whomever let this dog go, no one has even suggested that doing so to what was clearly a well-loved and cared for animal is akin to giving your kids away because you're going to kill yourself. Has anyone considered the possibility that the person who wrote that was SUICIDAL? I don't know that this story has as happy an ending as you all want so self-righteously to believe.
Don't be too hard on Roadie's owner. She was longing for some meaningful activity and a touch of discipline and her heart's desire has come true. Bless all three of them!
I feel sorry for anybody that has to give up their dog because of ill health or financial reasons but never ever give up your dog because its hard, you wouldn't do that to a kid. If you really cant look after your dog take it to a shelter. Simple.We need to stop thinking of dogs as stuff like a car or a Playstation Dogs are part of the family.
You just don't abandon your animal no matter what. Getting an animal is a lifelong commitment, their life. When they are hungry you feed them, when they are sick or hurt you take them to the vet, when they get old you reveal them from pain and suffering and let them die when it's time even though it's hard to let go and if you for any reason can't keep them your replace them or put them down. You never abandon them.
How can you tie your dog to a tree if you love it so much? I understand people needing to give up their pet, for whatever reason, but drop it of at a shelter! I seriously can’t imagine abandoning a pet in the middle of nowhere. He could get hurt or die!
I think that they did not want to leave their dog in a shelter because if the shelter was overcrowded, the dog could have been put down. They knew that the dog was a good fit for a family and that it could succeed in another home, so they did not want any risk of it being put down. However, the responsible thing to do is to put your dog in a shelter because it could be killed/injured, get other animals pregnant, taken to a bad home or starve if left to fend for itself on the streets. If you ever decide to get an animal and cannot take care of it anymore, be responsible and do not just set it free, even if it means making hard and heartbreaking decisions.
How can you abandon your dog liek that? HOW? If would move heaven and earth to find a good home for my pooch, if I was ever in the position that I cold no longer care for her. I would never sleep again,, if I didn''t knwo she was happy and much loved. Once my dog escaped from someone who was supposed to watch her while I was at the shops and wandered alone through the middle of busy Berlin. She was six months old, at the time. I found her after abouthalf an hour, but that must have been the longest half hour of my life!!! Fortunatelyy, it is a real happy end for the dog. Having a proper job is perfect for that kind of dog. And now I need to go cuddle my dog or Ill start to cry.
Fully support the death penalty for folks like this and those who abuse animals. Honestly not much else makes my blood boil more than to think about this. I admit it makes me a bit irrational but anyone that can so casually toss life aside isnt worthy of life themselves.
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