Dog Abandoned at Home Improvement Store

SIGNAL HILL, CA- Susan Artis was leaving for lunch from her job at the Home Depot when she noticed a crowd gathered in the parking lot. As she neared the group, she could see a young dog socializing with the people.

Dog abandoned in parking lot

“The Dalmatian was just so happy to be surrounded by people,” she reports. “She wasn’t the least bit nervous, she was licking peoples’ hands, going from person to person.”

No one knew what to do about the dog since she had no collar or identification. Some suggested calling Animal Control Services to remove the animal. But Artis knew that the local shelter was overcrowded and often euthanized animals. So she did what many a dog lover would do. She got a leash from her car and took the dog home.

The first stop was the veterinarian’s office. “They offered to scan for a microchip but found nothing,” says Artis. The dog had a troubling respiratory problem which was diagnosed as a reverse-sneeze. Nothing to worry about, according to the vet.

“I took the dog home for a few days and posted signs all around the area, but no one claimed her,” says Artis. “No one was looking for her.”

After two days, Artis reluctantly took the dog to the shelter. “My vet said that was the best chance of finding the owners. But I cried all the way there,” she remembers.

Artis visited the Dalmatian in the shelter every day for five days. “The dog remembered me and jumped up on the gate and licked my hand through the fence,” she says.

On the sixth day the shelter made the decision to euthanize the one year old purebred.

“None of the rescue groups would take her because they didn’t feel she would ‘kennel’ well,” Artis reports. “They were afraid she would become neurotic and aggressive if she had to stay cooped up for very long.”

Not willing to let the dog be euthanized, Artis filled out paperwork, paid the fee and adopted the Dalmatian. “I just couldn’t let her be killed,” she says. “The dog was so young and very friendly. It would have been such a tragedy.”

Artis was able to find a home for the Dalmatian with another family, but they returned her after three weeks. “She was just too much trouble for them,” she says. “I decided to make her part of my permanent collection of dogs.”

The Artis family of pets now consists of four rescue dogs and two cats. Susan Artis has had mixed feelings along the way. “It’s a lot of animals to take care of,” she says. “But I made a commitment to them for their lifetimes. You can’t just throw them away like trash.”

Apparently, the original owners didn’t share that commitment. Artis later learned from other Home Depot employees that the Dalmatian had been deliberately abandoned by a man in a pickup truck who drove away quickly.

And the Dalmatian? She is perfectly happy spending time in her personal crate during her owner’s absence. No aggression or neuroses.