Woman Ends Up With Dog After Stranger Hands Her the Leash and Walks Away Without a Word

The following story was submitted to the From Woofs to Wonders Photo and Story contest. The top three finishers received a $250 Animal Rescue Site store shopping spree, as well as $2,000 in cash and supplies for their favorite shelter. To read more stories, click here!

In August 2019, I went to the vet with my other dog for a routine visit. In the waiting room, there was a person with a Belgian Malinois puppy that was all over the place. The person asked if we could do training together since we had the same breed of dog. I said, “Sure.”

Two days later, we met at the park. The person handed me the leash, and without saying a word, just walked away. At that moment, I realized I just gained another puppy. Neither she nor the previous owner looked back at each other.

I was so impressed, surprised, and appalled by the trust the previous owner had in me, since we had met in the waiting room at the vet only two days prior.

Once renamed Ziti, I realized she was 3-months-old, had all her vet records at the same vet we had and she was extremely shy from living outside only. Fast forward four years later, Ziti has complete trust in our family.

She lives inside, except for when she is performing her ranch duties – looking out over the pasture. She is in training to be a family member’s service dog, loves to watch over her ranch with horses, and has boundless amounts of energy.

Ziti and her previous owner really taught me that blind trust is the way things have to go sometimes to do what is best for each other. I personally do not agree with how the situation came to be, but I am so grateful that she literally was just given to me. I did not know how much I needed her in my life until a few months after I was handed that leash, in a park, and in complete silence.

This story was submitted by Jaclyn Rabito in support of American Belgian Malinois Rescue. To read other stories from the From Woofs to Wonders Photo and Story contest, click here!