A gentle German Shepherd left tied outside a Walmart for six hours found a miraculous second chance after he was put on the shelter’s euthanasia list.
The story started outside a Walmart store in Hesperia California where someone left the sweet dog behind with a box of his favorite toys. He waited patiently for six hours hoping his family would come back.
A local pet photographer named Leanna Ayala saw the dog right there on the street and her heart broke at the look in his eyes. She owned a rescued German Shepherd named Papa who was abandoned the same way so she knew she had to help.
Animal control eventually picked up the dog and took him to the Hesperia Animal Shelter. The poor animal was so terrified in the strange shelter environment that he completely shut down. Because he was so scared the staff had to put him in quarantine which landed him on the euthanasia list.
Leanna knew he was not aggressive at all just terrified. She started posting his story online and set up a GoFundMe campaign to save his life.
“Maverick’s temperament early on was very docile and gentle,” Leanna said about the dog who was now named Maverick. She worked tirelessly alongside dedicated local rescue groups like Chiko’s Pawz On Wheelz and Iron Paw Rescue to coordinate his rescue.
“I wanted to know that I gave it my all, that I did everything in my power to save this dog,” Leanna said.
A foster family in Washington State saw his story online and offered to take him in. Volunteers banded together to organize transport and Leanna bought him a collar tag and tracker from PetSmart. On May 5th Maverick officially left the shelter to start his long journey to a loving home.
The moment he left the shelter his sweet personality came right back.
At the end of the day this story is really about the blessing of a second chance. Every single one of us needs grace at some point in our lives whether it’s a helpless creature or a hurting human being. We only have hope today because of the deep mercy God showed us on that cross giving us a brand new start when we didn’t deserve it. Since we have been given such a wonderful second chance at life we ought to pass that same mercy along to others whenever we get the opportunity.
WATCH: German Shepherd Abandoned at Walmart Receives Second Chance at Life
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