As dog lovers, we simply can’t understand why anyone would abandon an animal on the streets and force them to fend for themselves.

There are so many better options! It really takes a special kind of cruelty to choose that one.

We don’t know what Pumba’s life was like before, but we can imagine it wasn’t that glamorous since his “family” was willing to leave him behind on the day they moved. Unfortunately, things only got worse from there.

Unsure of what to do, Pumba waited months around the house and on the curb for his family to return. But they were gone for good.

Neighbors fed the dog, but poor Pumba lived on the street for A YEAR before someone finally called to have him rescued. It had been a long time since he had human comfort or a roof over his head.

We’re not sure why it took so long for anyone to think of giving the elderly dog a better life, but the minute the rescuers at Hope for Paws got the phone call they headed out to retrieve him.

And he wasn’t hard to find – he was curled up on his curb.

That’s no life for a dog. It’s pretty clear that Pumba’s former “owners” embody the phrase “we don’t deserve dogs.”

Hopefully, it goes without saying that no matter what a dog’s situation is, there are better options than leaving them on the street.

JoAnn Wiltz and Lisa Arturo were Pumba’s rescuers that day back in 2017 when someone finally thought to give him a better life.

Of course, after a year of being given scraps but very little affection, Pumba was now pretty terrified of people.

Rescuing him wasn’t going to be as easy as asking him to jump in the car.

In fact, he bolted across the street as soon as they approached him.

But these were professionals – and they were committed to spending time earning Pumba’s trust so that they could get him to safety without scaring or harming him.

After a direct approach failed, they set up a “trap” for him by putting food in a crate.

But life on the streets made Pumba skeptical – he wasn’t about to get into that crate.

After spending some time speaking to him kindly and offering snacks, they decided to approach him again since he was still interested enough to linger nearby.

But he didn’t like the look of the leash they were carrying on the third attempt, and he ambled to the other side of the street once again.

Not wanting to torment the poor pup by launching a sneaky capture, they tried one more time to get him to come willingly.

One rescuer approached very slowly, all the while showing Pumba that she had food for him.

It took a while, but patience paid off and she got close enough to slip a leash around him.

He wasn’t happy at first, but they were very gentle with him.

Once Pumba realized they were there to help him, he started to open up and allowed his rescuers to give him some affection.

Wiltz and Arturo got him to relax a bit and then drove him straight to the vet so he could get a check-up.

And he was in pretty good shape for his age and circumstances.

But the real issue would be finding him a home – senior dogs are very hard to place.

While we don’t know the full story of how it all ended, we do know that Hope for Paws found him a loving foster home for the time being.

After a year of suffering, he now had a safe place to play, doggie siblings to keep him company, and humans to love on him and make sure his needs were met.

His foster family even sent along a photo of a happy and relaxed Pumba so that those who were concerned for his welfare knew he was OK.

Hope For Paws is a non-profit rescue organization that specializes in animals in dire need of help and homes. If you’d like to contribute to their efforts, you can make a tax-deductible donation by clicking HERE.

In the meantime, be sure to scroll down below to see the video of Pumba’s rescue from the streets.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: Hope For Paws – Official Rescue Channel via YouTube, The Dodo, Hope for Paws via Facebook