Knowing someone does not want their pet any more is sad to hear. Dog owners who love their dog but can no longer keep them make sure that they are placed in a loving home, or at the very least taken to a local animal shelter.

Sadly, in some cases, though, people choose to dump their animals in a remote location. That is what happened to a dog in Georgia, but luckily, she had someone on her side.

BJ Nemeth makes a shocking discovery

BJ Nemeth, a reporter from Atlanta, Georgia, was on his way home from work when he decided to stop at a rest area along the way to get a soda. As he approached the machine, he made a shocking discovery. Sticking out from behind the machine was a pair of canine legs. As he looked, he kept thinking to himself, “Please don’t be dead.”

Nemeth knew he had to be the one to take action

To get a better look, he took a photo with his phone, using the flash to light up the area. That is when the dog looked up at him. Relieved, he had another realization, someone had probably driven the six miles from the nearest exit to dump the poor dog at the location. At first, he tried calling around to find someone to come and take the dog to safety. But seeing as it was so late, no one answered.

First, he gained her trust

Knowing he had to take her with him, he started working on gaining her trust. He attempted to give her some food, a small bag of cheese crackers from one of the machines. And even though she ate what he gave her, she still kept a wary eye on him. He somehow had to figure out a way to get her to trust him enough so that he could take her with him.

While he waited for her to finish eating, he posted a few photos of her and some updates on Twitter. He also decided to name her Soda-Pup after the place where he had found her.

Getting Soda to safety

After she had finished eating, Nemeth had an idea. He waited for her to lay back down and then ran back over to his car to grab a towel. He used it to pick her up and carry her back to his car. Surprisingly, he was able to get her in his vehicle without any problems.

As he drove, he could feel her wet nose against his elbow. As he checked on her in the back, he saw that she was all smiles. For some reason, this reassured him that everything was going to be OK. First, he would take her to his house, and then the next day he would take her to the vet.

Finding Soda a forever home

It would have been ideal if Nemeth could have adopted Soda, but having a dog of his own who happened to be very territorial, he knew that was an impossibility. Finally, arriving back home at 3 a.m., he set her up in a room. Soon, he would be able to get her to the vet, and then from there, he would get the help that she needed.

At the vet the next day, it was determined that Soda was four years old. She also had to be vaccinated and spayed, which Nemeth happily paid for. Nemeth decided to foster her until she was strong enough to be adopted. Each day she grew stronger and lost some of the sadness and fear she had shown before.

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Finally, it was time for Soda to be adopted. Fortunately, a friend of Nemeth’s, who lived in Dallas, Texas, agreed to adopt her. Nemeth took her to her new home and stayed with her for a few days to help her transition into her forever home.

“[The adopter] was recently widowed within the past two years,” Nemeth told The Dodo. “I really like the idea of her going to someone who needs her just as much as she needs them.”

H/T: Paw My Gosh, The Dodo