This past February, an employee at Cayjo Peruvian Cuisine in Orlando, Florida, was walking near the restaurant around 10 a.m. when they noticed a large white van abandoned in the parking lot.
Morning turned to night, and the van remained parked. Restaurant staff called local authorities, who came to search the car. What they found inside broke their hearts.
According to an officer’s report taken at the time, the car “was in a state of disarray” with objects and debris randomly piled throughout. Exposed shards of glass poked through a shattered window on the driver’s side door. And, most shockingly, curled up in the middle of all of this mess was a scared brown dog.
Officers attempted to find the dog’s family, to no avail. But the sweet pup didn’t have to worry — he had a safe, temporary home at Orange County Animal Services.
The nervous dog, later named Mason, took some time to adjust to shelter life.
“Unsurprisingly, Mason was fearful when he first arrived,” Orange County Animal Services wrote in a Facebook post. “He’s still struggling to trust people, and we don’t blame him one bit.”
One of the shelter’s animal behavior specialists spent time playing with Mason to help him decompress. She noted his love of stuffed animals, which he enjoyed carrying around and showing off to his new friends.
Given his tough past, Mason didn’t always trust strangers, and he could be protective of his space. Occasionally, he’d bark at visitors walking by, which deterred a few potential families.
But shelter staff knew that Mason’s tough exterior hid a gentle heart beneath. So they posted on Facebook, urging adopters to consider him.
“We’re hoping by sharing his story, we can appeal to someone who will look past his kennel presentation, take him out to a play yard … take the opportunity to get to know him, and see the dog he can be with a bit of love,” the rescue wrote.
Their efforts paid off. Mason soon met his perfect match, a forever family who saw the pup’s true colors. Now, far from the cluttered van he once called home, Mason is living the comfortable life he deserves.
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