At just 3-months-old, a baby pitbull by the name of Chunk was abandoned, tied to a tree and left standing in the rain. No puppy — or any living creature in general — should ever go through that trauma.

Unfortunately though, Chunk did. It was some time in October when the No.14 crew of the local fire department were on their way to a call in Sacramento. It was then when they came across the poor pup on the street.

The puppy was clearly cold and shivering and just continued to watch the firefighters as they drove by without helping.

When the call they were on their way to was finally taken care of, one firefighter in particular, Mike Thawley, suggested they circle back around to check on the pup. Surely enough, she was still there suffering.

The good news is that the firefighters took her in right there and then and showered her with love — and a warm bath. They also noticed her legs were swollen and covered in scabs and she had lost most of her hair due to mange. Mange is a skin ailment that commonly appears in dogs who are mistreated.

After giving Chunk all of the warm care in the world, she was taken to the Front Street Animal Shelter, where she would receive even more treatment and ideally, a brand-new home that would look after her with love.

Thankfully her mange was mild, but it was still going to take some time for the pup to fully recover. The shelter dressed her in warm clothes while her fur slowly began to grow back.

Mike was unable to stop thinking about poor Chunk, so he visited the shelter just the next day to check in on how she was doing. What is perhaps the most heartwarming part of this whole story is how Chunk greeted her hero. She clearly hadn’t forgotten Mike, the one who saved her, and because of that, she was completely beside herself when he walked in. Her tail was furiously wagging as she jumped on him and practically hugged him like a human being.

“We all just kind of fell in love with her,” Mike said in regards to the night that the fire department rescued her.

Mike later returned again with his whole family — wife and three daughters — this time. Clearly, Mike was not the only one who was head-over-heels in love with Chunk. The four girls seemed to love her just as much. It wouldn’t even be crazy to assume that they just might end up being Chunk’s new family.

“Although Mike denies it, it appears by a vote of four to one that Chunk might wind up with a permanent home,” the Sacramento Fire Department wrote on their Facebook page.

The family waited about four months until they finally took the pup home. It was then that Chunk’s health was pretty much back to normal. It was also then when the family decided to name her Chunk!

“I think what’s great about this whole story is that not only did this dog find its forever home, but had the opportunity to go to a foster home, which we’re always looking for at our shelter, to get happy and healthy,” Bobby Mann, the animal shelter’s spokesperson shared.

Watch the adorable clip below and try not to cry!

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Source: Shareably