A few months ago in Southern California, a family packed up their home in a rush after receiving an eviction notice. Boxes were filled, the car was loaded, and just like that, they were gone.
But they didn’t take everyone with them.
Left behind in the yard, surrounded by discarded boxes, was their senior dog — alone, confused, and waiting.
“They literally drove off and left him behind,” said Suzette Hall, founder of Logan’s Legacy dog rescue. “And he waited for them to come back.”
The elderly pup, later named Fritter, had no way of knowing his family was never coming back. Denied access to the house, he curled up inside the only shelter he could find — an old cardboard box. There, he waited, day after day.
“Sometimes he would sit in the middle of the street and stare at every car that passed, hoping it was them,” Hall said.
Concerned neighbors tried their best to care for him, offering food and water. Still, Fritter kept his distance. Despite their kindness, his heart was with the people who had left him.
Then news came that the house was going to be torn down. The neighbors knew they had to act fast — so they contacted Logan’s Legacy.
“When I saw him for the first time, I just felt so sad,” Hall said. “He was so devoted. He really believed they were coming back.”
Hall tried to lure Fritter into a humane trap with treats, but like he’d done with the neighbors, he kept his guard up. Finally, with patience and careful coordination, they were able to corner him and get him safely inside the trap.
“He was shaking nonstop,” Hall recalled. “He was terrified.”
Once inside her van, Hall gently spoke to him the entire way to Camino Pet Hospital. By the time they arrived, Fritter had started to calm down — enough to let Hall cradle him in her arms.
“I held him and told him, ‘It’s over now. No one will ever leave you behind again,’” Hall said.
At the vet, Fritter received a warm bath and medical attention. Slowly but surely, the fear began to fade. In its place? Relief. Gratitude. Even joy.
“He’s so sweet now,” Hall said. “He knows he’s safe. And now he’s smiling.”
Fritter is currently staying at Camino Pet Hospital while he searches for a foster or forever home — someone who will finally give him the love and loyalty he’s always given so freely.
“He has so much love to give,” Hall said. “He’d make the perfect companion.”
Until that day comes, Hall and her team continue to reassure Fritter that his days of being forgotten are over — and that cardboard boxes are a thing of the past.
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To inquire about fostering or adopting Fritter, contact Suzette Hall via Facebook.
To support dogs like Fritter, consider donating to Camino Pet Hospital under “Logan’s Legacy 29.”
