Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

BoredPanda Add post form topAdd Post
Tooltip close

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

This Dog Was Found With A Heartbreaking Message In A Bottle On Her Collar
35

This Dog Was Found With A Heartbreaking Message In A Bottle On Her Collar

ADVERTISEMENT

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

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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

ADVERTISEMENT

Luckily, after Johnson County shelter staff put up Roadie for adoption, they received more than 20 requests from people touched by the story.

ADVERTISEMENT

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

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: Jeremy Pell

And this is what people commented on Roadie’s case

ADVERTISEMENT
Share on Facebook
Liucija Adomaite

Liucija Adomaite

Writer, Community member

Read more »

Liucija Adomaite is a creative mind with years of experience in copywriting. She has a dynamic set of experiences from advertising, academia, and journalism. This time, she has set out on a journey to investigate the ways in which we communicate ideas on a large scale. Her current mission is to find a magic formula for how to make ideas, news, and other such things spread like a virus.

Read less »
Liucija Adomaite

Liucija Adomaite

Writer, Community member

Liucija Adomaite is a creative mind with years of experience in copywriting. She has a dynamic set of experiences from advertising, academia, and journalism. This time, she has set out on a journey to investigate the ways in which we communicate ideas on a large scale. Her current mission is to find a magic formula for how to make ideas, news, and other such things spread like a virus.

Mindaugas Balčiauskas

Mindaugas Balčiauskas

Author, BoredPanda staff

Read more »

I'm a visual editor at Bored Panda. I kickstart my day with a mug of coffee bigger than my head, ready to tackle Photoshop. I navigate through the digital jungle with finesse, fueled by bamboo breaks and caffeine kicks. When the workday winds down, you might catch me devouring bamboo snacks while binging on the latest TV show, gaming or I could be out in nature, soaking up the tranquility and communing with my inner panda.

Read less »

Mindaugas Balčiauskas

Mindaugas Balčiauskas

Author, BoredPanda staff

I'm a visual editor at Bored Panda. I kickstart my day with a mug of coffee bigger than my head, ready to tackle Photoshop. I navigate through the digital jungle with finesse, fueled by bamboo breaks and caffeine kicks. When the workday winds down, you might catch me devouring bamboo snacks while binging on the latest TV show, gaming or I could be out in nature, soaking up the tranquility and communing with my inner panda.

What do you think ?
Add photo comments
POST
chi-wei shen
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

Mike Crow
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

Chich
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

Morgan Leigh
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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...
Load More Comments
chi-wei shen
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

Mike Crow
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

Chich
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

Morgan Leigh
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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...
Load More Comments
You May Like
Related on Bored Panda
Related on Bored Panda
Trending on Bored Panda
Also on Bored Panda