At 2pm on Sunday, October 15, Justin Hanley stepped outside his Philadelphia home to find a puppy tied to the rail of his front steps. The 15-week old pit bull was accompanied by a bag of half-eaten pizza and a note which read, “Please take me home. I’m a girl named Diamond. We can no longer keep her in our home. Thank you.”
Hanley took Diamond to his back patio, where he could give her some food and water. With two young children and a dog, Hanley knew he and his family wouldn’t be able to give Diamond the permanent home she needed. Instead, he sprang into action and shared the sweet pup’s story on his local East Falls Facebook group.
“Need advice/help. Somebody tied up their dog and abandoned her on my front step, with a note (attached) and a bag of pizza. Who handles abandoned/lost dogs? SPCA?? This is heartbreaking stuff,” he said in his Facebook post.
Within minutes, messages of support were pouring in, and a few hours later, Diamond had a foster home lined up.
New Jersey-based rescue organization Don’t Bully Us Rescue picked up Diamond from Hanley’s home that evening and took her straight to her new foster home – a beautiful property with a lake and another dog for Diamond to play with!
Diamond was renamed Serenity, and she has been having a great time with her loving foster parents. She is currently up for adoption through Don’t Bully Us Rescue.
Although Serenity’s story has a happy ending, too many pets face terrifying situations when they are abandoned. While it can be tempting to simply take the animal in, PSPCA spokeswoman Gillan Kocher advises would-be rescuers to call their local SPCA first.
“Our Humane Law Enforcement officers can respond to the call, or provide additional insight as to what the next steps are,” said Kocher. “We would recommend not taking the animal as a Good Samaritan, but rather allowing our officers to do their job in responding and investigating the case.”
We’re excited to see Serenity’s newfound joy continue as soon as she finds her forever home.
Thanks for finding this puppy a new home.
Thanks for finding this puppy a new home.
That was a dumb comment about the pizza even if it was a joke think it but don’t post it. Yes good news for the pup and the guy that took her in and I Would have done the same thing and as far as contacting the SCPA, like what for and how long would that take them anyway. By the time they would find the person who left the dog (if ever) then investigate and what kind of punishment do you think they would get maybe 50 fine ain’t worth it. There are too many worse cases out there that this one would go on back burner sorry to say for the SPCA.
I am happy for Diamond Serenity. And terrible as it is, my heart goes out also to the people who left her there. They had obviously checked out the situation, and thought this would be a person who would take care of Diamond. Much better than dumping her on a lonely road as happens far too often.
I am pleased she is safe and well.
please do not share such stories. the positive outcome for the dog might encourage more people to abandon their dogs in such a manner.
Why on earth is someone making jokes about the pizza? Pathetic.
This response is for Leanne who cares about the pizza the pup is important so why you on this site for may be you need to turn into a pizza and get off this site
Who ate half the pizza, the dog or the previous owner(s)? Was it a large or personal sized pizza? Those are the burning questions. ????????????????
Why are you making dumb jokes about pizza? Why are you even on here if you don’t care?
Leanne was making a lighthearted joke. If you took the time to read her first post you would see she does care, and cares deeply.
Thank goodness for people like Justin and his fb friends. I hope that this puppy finds a loving forever home.
The act of abandoning is very cruel and not surprisingly the picture of this young puppy is incredibly sad. Hopefully he will find a responsible and loving person to look after him and be happy in his life.
Thank you for helping the pup find her a home in glad there are still good people in the world yo help this puppy in time of need god bless you whoever you are
Wow