Abandoned German Shepherd who chased owners who dumped her has a new life - and ... trends now
The puppy who melted a nation's heart by chasing after the owners who dumped her in a trailer park has a new home – and a bright future ahead of her.
Now renamed Phoenix – because she has risen from the ashes – the black German Shepherd has already experienced a 2,700-mile cross-country road trip as she is given a chance to start fresh.
And hopes are high that she is going to make it as a therapy dog to support those in hospitals and hospices, once she is properly trained.
Video taken by DailyMail.com shows the moment the three-month-old pup arrived at her new home, desperately jumping on her new owner in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Saturday after traveling five days across the country from Fresno, California.
'We already have a potential adopter for her if, for any reason, she can't stay with us,' her new guardian Meredith Gintzig-Hayes, 33, told DailyMail.com. 'But if it falls through, she'll be with me – I can't ever put her in a situation that feels abandonment again.'
DailyMail.com can reveal that the puppy that was dumped last month is getting adopted, has been renamed Phoenix and will be trained as a therapy dog
'We already have a potential adopter for her if, for any reason, she can't stay with us,' her new guardian Meredith Gintzig-Hayes, 33, told DailyMail.com
Once the dog's plight had been shown on DailyMail.com, Gintzig-Hayes, who runs an organization called Regional Deployed K9 Inc and Equine Rescue, sprung into action
'As cliché as it sounds, I was adopted at two days old and I've struggled with abandonment, even though I had a family that loved me unconditionally,' Gintzig-Hayes said.
'But you always have that sense, and so when I saw the video my soul literally connected to her through it.
'I knew that I had to save her no matter what.'
Security cameras caught Phoenix desperately chasing after her callous owners' white Nissan Sentra after they dropped her in the Country Living Mobile Home Park in Fresno, California, shortly after 10am on April 25.
She was captured looking around in confusion before watching the vehicle speed away, and then desperately tried to chase the car down the street.
But as the security gates shut, Phoenix paused, turned and ran back into the trailer park where a worker coaxed her into the office.
'The video of Phoenix was heart wrenching,' Gintzig-Hayes said. 'But I hear about such things every day in the line of work I do.
'The difference is that you can actually see it happen in this case.'
The trailer park's assistant manager Patricia Garvey told DailyMail.com she was 'horrified' when she saw the video of Phoenix being dumped.
'I was worried that the dog was going to get hit by a car.'
DailyMail.com has learned that the owners may have tried to take 10 lb. Phoenix to the Fresno Animal Center – but it was closed that day.
A person wearing a red sweatshirt was seen carrying a black German Shepherd dog with a pink collar to the center.
Surveillance footage showed a German Shepherd puppy chasing a car after being abandoned in a parking lot in Fresno, California
She was captured looking around in confusion before watching the vehicle speed away, and then desperately tried to chase the car down the street
Under California law it is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in prison and a $1,000 fine to abandon an animal willfully
A center worker took the photo and told DailyMail.com, 'I took a picture of the dog so I could send to various rescue centers and shelters in the area to see if there as any interest.
'I obviously had no idea he was going to abandon it just minutes later. He told me he had found the dog, and that it wasn't his. I didn't believe him.'
Nor does Gintzig-Hayes, who said there is 'no way' a dog would chase after a car if they had only met the person an hour before.
'They're probably just trying to say they were doing the right thing. But she wouldn't have chased after the car like that if that was true.
'If anyone is looking to rehome their dog, I'd advise them to go to a shelter and ask for a list of rescues that might specialize in the breed of dog they have and reach out to them.
'Even if they're full they will have a network who can try to find a forever home for the dog, giving it an opportunity to live. It takes a lot of stress out of the situation and could prevent them being euthanized.'
Under California law it is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in prison and a $1,000 fine to abandon an animal willfully.
A complaint has been filed with police over Phoenix's case.
Once Garvey had the dog at the mobile home park she had to decide what to do with her.
