It was just before 10 a.m. when the doors at Pennsylvania SPCA swung open.
A shaken Good Samaritan rushed inside with urgent news: Someone had just left a taped-up cardboard box outside the shelter. Attached to it was a handwritten note.
Staff hurried out into the bitter cold. The temperature had dipped below 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Whatever was inside that box had been sitting in the freezing air.
The note read:
“I have no other option. It’s either eviction or let the dog go. I have filled out adoption applications, but nothing has happened. Today was my last day, and my back is to the wall. She has all of her shots. Good dog. Her name is Tangi.”
There was no time to process the words.
They cut through the tape.
Inside, a small puppy with a black nose and pointy ears looked up at them — eyes wide, body trembling.
“When we opened it, scared eyes looked up at us,” PSPCA later shared. “She was shaking and so stressed that she was hyper-salivating, clearly overwhelmed by everything around her.”
No one knew how long 9-month-old Tangi had been inside that box. But miraculously, she wasn’t injured. She wasn’t sick.
She was just terrified.
And yet — even in her fear — she reached for comfort.
“The moment a hand reached toward her, she leaned in, gentle and searching for comfort despite everything she had been through,” PSPCA wrote. “Tangi just wanted to be near someone.”
You can see more footage from her rescue here:
As staff carried her inside to warmth and safety, she pressed herself close to anyone who would kneel beside her.
Throughout her medical and behavioral exams that day, Tangi refused to stray far from her rescuers.
“She followed staff closely, rested her head against anyone who knelt beside her, and cried when she was left alone,” the shelter shared. “All she wanted was to feel safe.”
One staff member, Sarah Brown, stayed by Tangi’s side from the moment the box came through the doors. Over the next few days, she watched the anxious puppy slowly begin to decompress.
“Her whole world was turned upside down, so it’s understandable that she’s still a bit unsure,” Brown told The Dodo. “But she’s slowly starting to open up.”
Then, one beautiful moment changed everything.
“For the first time, I truly got to see her puppy personality shine,” Brown said. “She loved chasing a tennis ball around the yard and hopped into my lap for kisses.”
It was the first glimpse of who Tangi really is — not the frightened puppy in a taped box, but a playful, affectionate girl who just wants to belong.
While the circumstances of her surrender were heartbreaking, PSPCA staff hold compassion for her former family. The note suggested love — and desperation.
“We sympathize deeply with Tangi's previous owner,” Brown said. “We want our community to know that support is available — through us and through the many rescues and shelters nearby. Our hearts break for everyone in this situation.”
Now, Tangi’s story is turning a page.
She’s warm. She’s safe. She’s surrounded by people who care deeply about her future.
And though she hasn’t found her forever home just yet, the team at the Pennsylvania SPCA is certain it won’t take long.
“We know she’ll steal hearts quickly,” they wrote. “For now, she is safe, and so, so loved.”
From a taped box in the cold to a second chance filled with hope — Tangi’s brightest days are still ahead.
You can inquire about adopting Tangi here.
To help pets like Tangi get the care they need, you can donate to Pennsylvania SPCA here.
