While Maria Harrington was taking her dogs for a walk on the levee above a canal in California, they suddenly began barking. The canines were trying to alert her to someone who was lying below.

Harrington immediately looked down and was shocked to notice an abandoned, motionless pup who was curled up in the canal. 

The giant-hearted woman started calling him, but the pooch showed no reaction.

The kind human wasn’t sure whether the pooch was still alive, so she threw a rock nearby in hopes of getting his attention.

Much to her relief, the pooch lifted his head and looked in Harrington’s direction. He looked exhausted, and he seemed to have given up on himself.

A Rescue Mission

The kind woman knew that she had to help the dog.

After she brought her pups home, Harrington posted about the abandoned pooch, later named Fritz, on Facebook. She hoped that someone would help her save him.

Harrington returned to the canal and met a dog-loving couple who came to assist her in rescuing the canine.

The trio joined their forces and managed to pull the dog up from the canal.

The good humans felt sad when they noticed a collar that was embedded into Fritz’s skin.

Harrington took Fritz home to take care of him, although she already had four dogs. She consoled the confused doggo and promised him that he would be alright.

The good human gave him a bath and prepared him a comfy bed. Fritz sensed that he was safe and put his faith in his hero.

Although the twelve-year-old pup moved slower than the other dogs, he still went on walks with Maria and the pack.

Harrington felt attached to Fritz, but sadly, she knew that she couldn’t give him what he wanted the most… a forever home.

She contacted Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, a rescue based in San Francisco, California, asking them to help Fritz find a loving family.

Getting His Happy Ending

The rescue took the doggo under their care.

The staffers were saddened by the neglect that Fritz endured and they wished to give him a second chance at happiness.

“He was slow and arthritic and had rough elbows which indicated to her that he’d been kept on a hard surface prior to his rescue,” Patty Stanton from Muttville Senior Dog Rescue told Newsweek.

The good humans were committed to changing Fritz’s life.

They took him to the vet, where he received a thorough medical examination. Fritz was diagnosed with arthritis and a dental disease. 

The pooch was given arthritis medication, and he got his dental work done.

A wonderful woman named Kristin felt heartbroken after she heard Fritz’s story. She volunteered to foster him and help him heal.

Kristin was determined to expose him to new experiences and to make him happy.

She brought him home and lavished him with affection.

Fritz instantly warmed up to his foster mom, and he enjoyed spending time with her. His heart became filled with happiness. The doggo couldn’t stop smiling.

The kind-hearted woman couldn’t resist falling in love with Fritz’s loving personality and she adopted him.

The senior canine was deeply grateful to his mom for her selfless love and for the second chance she gave him.