Dog tied to fire hydrant with a note and backpack surprises animal shelter

Dog tied to fire hydrant
(Image credit: Facebook / Green Bay Campus - Wisconsin Humane Society)

You might expect that if a dog was found tied to fire hydrant it would immediately involve neglect of some kind, of a dog left behind by a careless owner, with no story or name.

In this case, however, it seems to be nothing of the sort. When this dog - named Baby Girl - was found in Green Bay, Wisconsin, tied to a fire hydrant, she wasn’t alone.

Alongside her, there was a bag of her favorite things, such as food, treats, and toys, plus a note left by her original owner, expressing exactly why they had undertaken this particular course of action.

The local neigborhood rallied, with one resident detailing on social media how she sat with Baby Girl for an hour in case their owner came back.

The Wisconsin Humane Society, who has taken Baby Girl in, left the following note on Facebook, expressing sympathy for her former owner while at the same time expressing reassurance.

"First and foremost, we are so sorry you had to part with your best friend," the WHS wrote. "It's evident just how much you loved her and we can see you did your best while struggling with your own medical complications and challenges of life".

The post made mention of the steps that had been taken to ensure Baby Girl’s safety, such as "the bag you carefully packed with all of her favorite things," "the way you secured her leash so she wouldn't get hit by a car," and the way she was placed "in the middle of a neighborhood where she'd be quickly found".

"We see your love in how happy and healthy Baby Girl looks. And we see your love in the note you left, pleading for someone to help her when you no longer could."

"While we'll never let fees be a barrier and we welcome anonymous surrenders, we see that you did what you thought was best for your beloved pup and we are grateful for your compassion."

"Rest assured that she's safe, she's getting tons of attention from our team, and she's on track to find her next loving family very soon."

Currently in a hold for stray dogs at the WHS, Baby Girl will be put up for adoption if no one comes forward. Hopefully a happy outcome is reached.

Steve Wright

Steve writes and proofreads buying guides, news stories and advice for Pets Radar, drawing on his lifelong experience as a pet owner. Currently sharing his house with two cats and a dog, he draws on the many highs and occasional lows of pet ownership he has borne witness to in his writing. He has worked in publishing for 15 years as an editor, sub editor and writer on a range of titles, such as SciFiNow, How It Works, All About History, Real Crime and Horrorville. You can follow him on Twitter @stevewright22