“Her name is Tangi” 🥺
At around 9:45 a.m. the other day, Pennsylvania SPCA’s (PSPCA) doors flew open, and a bewildered Good Samaritan bolted inside. They’d just witnessed someone drop a taped-up cardboard box outside the shelter — and the note attached to the side made their stomach drop.
“I have no other option,” the note, shared on Facebook, read. “It’s either eviction or let the dog go. I have filled out adoption [applications], but nothing has happened. Today was my last day, and my back is to the wall. She has all of her shots. Good dog. Her name is Tangi.”
With temperatures dipping below 30 degrees Fahrenheit, there was no time to waste. The shelter staff quickly retrieved the box and broke through the tape to uncover a trembling puppy with a black nose and pointy ears.
“When we opened it, scared eyes looked up at us,” PSPCA wrote on Facebook. “She was shaking and so stressed that she was hyper-salivating, clearly overwhelmed by everything around her.”
The rescuers had no idea how long Tangi had been in the box, but thankfully, she wasn’t sick or injured. And, as terrified as she may have been, she was immediately trusting of her new caregivers.
“[T]he moment a hand reached toward her, she leaned in, gentle and searching for comfort despite everything she had been through,” PSPCA wrote on Facebook. “Tangi just wanted to be near someone.”
You can see more footage from her rescue here:
As Tangi underwent a series of medical and behavioral exams that day, her attachment to her rescuers grew stronger.
“She followed staff closely, rested her head against anyone who knelt beside her, and cried when she was left alone,” PSPCA wrote. “All she wanted was to feel safe.”
One staff member, Sarah Brown, was with Tangi from the moment they brought the box inside and spent the next few days with the anxious pup. After decompressing for a bit, the sweet girl’s personality finally started to blossom.
“Her whole world was turned upside down, so it’s understandable that she’s still a bit unsure, but she’s slowly starting to open up,” Brown told The Dodo. “Today, for the first time, I truly got to see her puppy personality shine! She loved chasing a tennis ball around the yard and hopped into my lap for kisses.”
Tangi’s anxiety after being abandoned has been devastating to witness, but the PSPCA staff aren’t just heartbroken for her. They feel for Tangi’s previous family, who seemed to have loved her despite not knowing the best way to surrender her.
“We sympathize deeply with Tangi’s previous owner. We want our community to know that support is available — through us and through the many rescues and shelters nearby,” Brown said. “Our hearts break for everyone in this situation, and it is our hope that we can help Tangi have the brightest future possible.”
Despite her heartbreaking past, Tangi’s future is now brighter than ever thanks to the folks at PSPCA and the Good Samaritan who found her.
The 9-month-old pup is currently available for adoption. And while she hasn’t found her perfect home yet, her rescuers know her happily-ever-after is just around the corner.
“We know she’ll steal hearts quickly,” PSPCA wrote. “For now, she is safe, and so, so loved.”