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Abandoned dog's 3-year wait for owners ends with new home
The dog it seemed nobody wanted was flown hundreds of miles via private jet and finally found his forever home.
Wed, Nov 28 2012 at 4:38 PM
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Photo: 11Alive
An abandoned dog that waited three years for his owners to return has finally found a new home.
Chen the Chow was left behind when his owners deserted their Atlanta home, but he stuck around, sleeping in the carport and scavenging food scraps from a nearby grocery store.
Finally, after years of watching Chen wander the property, a neighbor told Lisa Renstrom of Chap’s Chow Rescue about the dog.
"He was waiting and waiting for his people to come home," Renstrom told 11 Alive News. "He absolutely would not leave that house. The people on either side would throw rocks and try to chase him away. He would not leave."
It took Renstrom a few weeks to gain Chen’s trust, but she won him over with kindness and food and took him to her dog rescue.
Healthy, happy and no longer alone, Chen was ready for his forever home, and Renstrom started looking. It didn’t take long.
Ben Rupp of Ohio saw Chen’s photo on Petfinder.com and felt a connection to the deserted dog. Chen reminded him of his Chow, Goldie, who had recently passed away after 13 years of companionship.
"His features are very similar to my old dog. The pictures and the story, it all came together,” Rupp told 11Alive.
Rupp called Renstrom and then booked a private jet and flew to Georgia, where Chen met him on the tarmac.
Although Renstrom had grown attached to Chen, she gave him a kiss goodbye and wished him well as he boarded the plane with Rupp.
"I hope he'll be happy," she said. "He deserves all the happiness."
Check out a video of Chen and his rescuers below:
More dog stories on MNN:
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I agree! Three years?! Maybe 3 days in a row, no more than a week, I would say. And of all ways to remove a dog, they chose throwing rocks?! WHY ROCKS. That won't remove the dog from the area. If anything, it will hurt him and then he will struggle walking. Good plan, people!!
Glad you finally took care of the problem... it took you long enough!
I agree with you completely! THREE years???
First of all, why would the neighbors throw rocks at him? Second of all, I can't believe anyone would leave their forever and best friend behind. They surely don't deserve him. I'm glad he found a new home. I know he will be happy there.
I hope the former owners and the neighbors who threw rocks read this article and feel really BAD about themselves.
I share your sentiments, but unfortunately people like this simply have no conscience.
That is the way I see it, not to mention they are their own karma.
I was a foster parent. I could imagine how hard it is to say goodbye to your rescued baby. Lisa Renstrom is the true guardian angel of Chen. So glad that Ben Rupp adopted this baby. Chen deserves a loving family for his loyalty. As to those heartless neighbors.... go to hell!
They threw rocks? What the heck is wrong with people?? I hope one day when those people are down and out someone throws rocks at them. I am glad this poor dog has found a home.
I can only imagine what kind of neighborhood this is that the neighbors answer to an abandoned dog is to NOT call animal control and instead throw rocks. People can be animals too.
My thoughts exactly!
This is 1 of those make you laugh, make you cry stories.What a beautiful boy he is !! Chows are 1 of the most loyal dogs you could ever want. God Bless the man who flew all that way to rescue him. Have a long + woderful life Chen.
In a private jet, so basically this sweet, lovable, and loyal dog will most likely have a way better life than those crappy heartless people who abandoned him and the evil neighbors. Karma.
People like this should not be allowed to have a pet
...or neighbors who would throw rocks at a dog they knew had been abandoned! Why didn't they try to help him?
It's pretty shocking isn't it? I'm so glad this had a happy ending, this dog did nothing wrong. It's important that we be the voice for creatures that don't have one. I toast everyone who took part in this journey to Ohio.
Right? People can be so cold hearted. At the very least feed the dog and try to get him help, not wait three years!
Exactly...that's what I wondered too. I'm so glad he now has a new forever home!!! As for the neighbots....stay away from me.
what I don't get is , why did neighbors throw rocks and why did the other neighbor wait years to call rescue??? At this day and age, animal control should have been called as soon as dog was abandoned...thank goodness it ended well
So sad, But so happy for him now. I just dont see how people can be so heartless and just leave animal behind. HOPE there day comes.
Why don't people consider their pets family? If they could not keep the dog at least they could do was to put it into a non-kill shelter. The neighbors that threw rocks at the dog aren't any better than it's owners. Thank God for people that rescue dogs. I have two Bloodhounds we rescued and will always have a rescue dog as long as we can.
I will never understand people who abandon their pets
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