MIAMI, SOUTH FLORIDA—A woman caught on camera appeared to be abandoning a black and white bulldog mix in Athalie Range Park turned out to be a Good Samaritan trying to help a lost dog.
The woman, who refused to be named, said in an interview that she ‘felt bad' after a mix-up was reported on the news weeks prior, which sparked outrage across social media.
Police and Animal Control were initially investigating this as a case of animal abandonment as she was seen on a CCTV footage speeding off in a black car after leaving the bulldog mix in a gated entrance to the park.
Upon seeing the news, the woman reached out to NBC News and Telemundo 51 to clear her name.
In the interview, she said she saw the dog on the other side of the park and decided to drive it to the gated side hoping that its owner would find it. “Before we dropped her off, we saw police and asked him for help. He said the only thing we could do is take it to a shelter, but I said I couldn’t because our car wasn’t working.”
She added, “I feel extremely bad because if it wasn’t me that was on the news, I would have been mad too.”
A concerned citizen saw the wandering dog on the day it was dropped off in the park, and called independent animal rescuer Jennifer Diliz for assistance.
Diliz then drove the dog to the Big Dog Ranch Rescue located outside of West Palm Beach.
The lost two-year old bulldog-mix, whose name is Soli, is now reunited with its owner Vladimir Pons, thanks to her microchip.
Pons also talked to NBC News, saying that Soli was just in his backyard but escaped when some neighborhood kids opened the back gate.
Soli underwent medical evaluation and was reportedly to be doing fine.
Thankfully, everything turned out well for Soli and the woman!
If you find yourself in a similar situation as her, what would you do?
Check out this guide we wrote about 12 Things to Do When You Find an Abandoned Dog.
