When Officer Angela Laurella received a report of two dogs chained to a pole, she had no idea what she would find on the dead-end street in Pompano, Florida.

When she got to the site, she was both shocked and dismayed. Most importantly, though she knew she had to hurry if she was going to save their lives.

Officer Laurella knew that the dog was in trouble

The temperatures in the area had been in the 100s and Officer Laurella, who works with the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) in Pompano, had no idea how long the dogs had been out in the heat.

One of the dogs had been tied so tightly to the pole that he was finding it hard to move.

“He was tied to a pole with a very short leash,” Amy Roman, founder, and president of 100+ Abandoned Dogs of Everglades Florida, told The Dodo. “He was absolutely emaciated, dehydrated, with every bone and rib protruding.”

First, the Officer Laurella had to earn the dog’s trust.

As Officer Laurella approached him, the dog, who she named Liam, reached out to her. It was almost as if he was asking for help.

Approaching him slowly, the officer tried to reassure him that she was there to help. As she got close, he reached up with his paw and put it in her hand.

Liam needed help right away

Now that she had his trust, the next step was to get him some help. So, she rushed him to a local rescue named 100+ Abandoned Dogs of Everglades.

The rescue was over capacity but decided to take Liam in regardless. Roman started to work with him personally to see that he was cared for.

Liam slowly recovered his strength

Roman took Lima into her home so that he could recover.

Her first goal was to help him get back his strength and make sure he was eating right.

“He’s receiving so much love around the clock,” Roman said. “He’s being fed every hour on the hour so his body gets used to it … We have volunteers who are cooking batches of boiled chicken and rice, so he’s loving life right now.”

Liam loved everyone he saw.

The pocket bully couldn’t help but love everyone he came into contact with.

“He loves everybody, and there’s not a mean bone in this dog’s body,” Roman said. “To me, that says it all, because, after everything he’s endured, he’s still so grateful and forgiving.”

Finally, Liam found a home.

After a failed first adoption, Liam was eventually adopted and taken into a loving home.

Most surprising was the fact that his new owner was a BSO officer, just like the one who had saved him.

See Liam reach out to the officer who saved him in the video below!

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Sources: YouTube – People Are Wholesome, The Dodo, Facebook – 100+ Abandoned dogs of the Everglades Florida