It’s sad enough when a dog is abandoned; even more heartbreaking is when a dog is abandoned without the owner’s knowledge or consent. That’s what happened to an abandoned dog named King, who was left in a Burger King parking lot last month in Monee, Illinois.
Dog Abandoned Without Owner’s Permission
King was found by officers of the Monee Police Department in the fast-food restaurant’s parking lot with a note attached to his collar. It read, “Hi, I’m King. I am a good boy. Love to hug and kiss.”
The pup was taken to the South Suburban Humane Society (SSHS) in Matteson, Illinois, where his caretakers confirmed he was indeed a good boy who was affectionate with the staff.
“King was in great condition. He had clearly been well taken care of and is a true lovebug. He was happy to see all of the staff and wanted to play,” Emily Klehm, CEO of SSHS, told People.
Meanwhile, the Monee Police Department shared the rescue pup’s story on social media, which brought a surprise visitor to the shelter – his dog mom. The woman had recently experienced a serious health issue and moved in with family. One of her relatives abandoned King.
“She shared with me her struggles, and she had tears streaming down her face,” Klehm said. “I was deeply moved by her love of King.”
Keeping Pets and Parents Together
Unfortunately, King’s owner didn’t have a home for the pup. But instead of putting him up for adoption, SSHS collaborated with his owner to figure out a living arrangement so they could reunite.
“We operate a safety net foster program where we can, with limited resources, place pets in foster care so that their pet parents can get back on their feet and be reunited,” Klehm told People.
An SSHS staff member welcomed King into their home until the dog’s owner was able to secure housing.
A GoFundMe page was also set up to support King and his owner.
“We have some amazing news …. King and his mom are reunited! She was able to find some temporary living arrangements where she could bring him, and we were overjoyed to reunite them today!! She knows that we are here for a lifetime of support,” SSHS shared in a social media post that included a video of reunification between King and his dog mom.
“At any point, any one of us could need help like King’s mom does, and our job is to help as many people as we can,” Klehm said. “The work that SSHS does is focused on keeping pets and their families together because pets are family.”
