Not everything in this world is rainbows and butterflies. Sweet stories, no matter how heartwarming they are, are still the minority. Unfortunately, we’re over swamped with tear-jerking, heartbreaking, and gut-wrenching stories featuring our canine friends.

The number of abandoned dogs in the States is absolutely devastating. Millions of dogs get rejected by their owners each year, and the number doesn’t seem to decrease. 

Seeing pups abandoned on the streets has become something all too common. I don’t know about you, but I’ll never get used to stories about rejected puppies left in garbage bags, or dogs tied to trees and left without food, water, or shelter.

Another soul-crushing story comes from Tampa Bay. It shook me to my core. Even though the story eventually has a happy ending, I can’t stop thinking about moments that Natalie, the abandoned girl, had to spend trapped in a tiny cage right next to a busy road.

Brace yourself, grab a box of tissues, and lean on my shoulder as we cry together over Natalie’s story.

The Humane Society Of Tampa Bay Finds A Dog Trapped In A Cage

Someone once said that bad people are like weeds – they will sprout anywhere you let them. 

I definitely agree with this statement because I saw far too many cases of bad, simply evil people at work. I don’t want to alarm you about some neglecting dog cases I saw. 

Let’s just say that trapping a hopeless dog in a cage is actually not too problematic as some other situations I witnessed.

Still, that doesn’t diminish the importance of Natalie’s story and the fact that she spent God only knows how much time in that little cage!

It was hot outside. Natalie had no shelter from the heat. She also didn’t have a drop of water or a bit of kibble to keep her alive. Her moments were counting down. If it wasn’t for a kind passerby, Natalie probably wouldn’t have made it to tomorrow. 

Luckily, the Tampa Bay Humane Society intervened as soon as they got the phone call. They rushed to save the poor pup. When they arrived at the scene, Natalie was not feeling well. She was too hungry, too thirsty, and too tired to even show a reaction. 

It appeared as if Natalie didn’t believe she was really getting rescued. Her hope in humanity clearly disappeared the moment she was left there to die by her previous owners.

Back at the HSTB hospital, as soon as they opened the cage for Natalie to get out, she was a completely different dog!

“Her tail wagged when she was out of the crate,” Regan Blessinger, the hospital’s marketing and content manager, said.

Besides the obvious dehydration and starvation, Natalie turned out to be fine and overall healthy. A fast rehabilitation at the shelter was all she needed.

“Natalie was timid at first, but warmed up to people and dogs quickly!” Regan shared. “She was loved by staff and volunteers because [of] how she would lay in the sun and look at you, waiting for some butt scratches.”

A month later, Natalie’s new furever family came to pick her up. The once abandoned girl couldn’t believe her luck: she got brand new owners, and a new sister, Zoey, all in just one month!

As the Tampa Bay Humane Society said on their Facebook, during the adoption, Natalie was leaning into her adopter’s legs, and you could tell she was happy and excited to be joining her new family!

At the end, I have to add that I’m pretty excited for Natalie, too, but I’ll never forget the image of her sitting hopelessly in that forsaken cage. 

Let’s just hope that Natalie’s new family will erase those moments from her life and replace them with happy memories only.