Family abandons pet pit bull in the park with a heartbreaking note - a single phone call turned his life around

The pit bull landed in the right hands when his previous owner gave him up because he was too energetic.

PUBLISHED 9 HOURS AGO

Dog tied to a tree with its bowl of food or water. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Jon Vallejo)

Imagine being so energetic that someone gives up on you because of it. The tragic story of Juniper, the dog named after the park section where he was found, surfaced on the internet on June 28. He was tied to a staircase in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, beside a note that blamed his energy for his abandonment. Fortunately, someone walked past the place where he was held up and immediately called their friend, Erica, who rushed to the park and rescued the dog. The story was shared by her on Instagram under the handle @super_scooty. Ever since the news of Juniper's rescue got out, the video has gone viral, garnering 937K views so far.

Portrait of a pit bull American Staffordshire bull terrier mix dog sitting in the passenger seat of a car looking through an open window. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Meaghan Browning. — A pit bull American Staffordshire bull terrier mix dog sitting in the passenger seat of a car looking through an open window. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Meaghan Browning)

Erica's neighbor called her after finding a crumpled piece of paper that read, “Just got him, and it was too much for me. Nice dog. Can’t keep him, and the original owner doesn’t want him back. Please help.” Upon reaching the park, she assessed the dog's condition, shared a smile, named him after the spot, and took him with her. The dog seemed happy to finally meet someone caring. “He was thrilled to go for a ride,” Erica penned in the caption of the video.

According to The Dodo, Juniper enjoyed his ride with Erica and got even more excited after meeting her other three pit bulls. “He was so excited about toys and a dog bed,” she said. She didn't consider adopting him, given she already had companions from the same breed. Besides, Juniper was an overly energetic pet to have around. He wasn't even neutered at the time. So, she took him to the San Diego Humane Society, where he could find a home that could keep up with his energy.

A happy black pitbull dog playing with its ball. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by CBCK-Christine) — A happy black pit bull dog playing with its ball. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by CBCK-Christine)

People online hailed Erica's efforts in rescuing the dog. “Thank you for taking him to safety. At least he has a chance to find a good home now that he's off the street. How awful that the person didn't take him to the humane society themselves and instead left him where he might have found the wrong person,” said @zerofukz. “I'm sick of this world. What a sweet boy. I wish I could take all the animals,” wrote @kitsune_katt.

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Aggression is the main cause behind the increased abandonment of dogs on the streets, as reported by a study in the NIH . Around 83.6% of people give up their dogs because of their excessive energy, which was the case with Juniper's previous owner. The same challenge arose for Erica. However, she didn’t want to abandon him, so she visited him every day at the shelter until he found a permanent home. “I went in every day while he was in there on his ‘stray’ hold and until they could neuter him. I brought him and all of the dogs on his ward treats,” she said. Juniper has now been renamed Duke after he was adopted by a family on July 31.