Salvatore didn’t back down despite the fact that no one had entered the Florida property in weeks. The dog sat quietly outside the door every day, guarding the foreclosed home and hoping his family would return.
When Gloria Cabal, a local dog rescuer, noticed Salvatore at his post, she knew she had to help.
Cabal tried for about a month to get Salvatore to come to her with water, food and treats, but the frightened young man refused to give up his yard.
When a new realtor pushed Salvatore into a nearby orange yard, he realized his family wasn’t coming back. Salvatore approached Cabal and let her take him to Everglades Angels Dog Rescue.
“He was very protective of his yard. He was basically guarding his stuff, but not angry or ferocious,” Denise Guevara, an Everglades Angels employee, told The Dodo.
“He’s a favorite of the volunteers,” Guevara added. “From what we can tell, he’s grown up in a family.”
Salvatore, who previously refused to approach strangers, has become one of the shelter’s best friends, often begging for pets and jumping on the couch to hug people.
Salvatore is now available for adoption through Everglades Angels, and staff are confident he’ll find a loving home soon.
Salvatore will get a second chance with a family who will never give up on him, thanks to the many compassionate animal lovers who refused to give up.