On his way to go hiking the other day, Sam stopped at a fast-food restaurant for a snack and a place to wait out the rainy weather. Raindrops covered Sam’s windshield as he picked up his food and pulled into a spot in the parking lot. But as he started
to take his meal out of the bag, his attention suddenly went to a tan dog wandering the parking lot.
“I saw [him] outside going car to car for food, and no one opened the door for him,” Sam told The Dodo. “[I]t just broke my heart to see him alone and hungry in the rain.”
Sam couldn’t stop thinking about the dog and decided to share some of his meal with him. He set some food in a container, opened his door and called the drenched pup over. The dog went barreling over to Sam, but didn’t even seem to care about the food at first.
“He went right past the food and jumped straight into my car,” Sam said. “I didn’t plan on him getting into my truck … [but] at that point, I was not going to kick him out in the rain.”
The dog, whom Sam later named Gus, sat in the passenger seat for a second as if to collect his breath. His fur was sopping wet, having had no shelter from the storm. And, once he started gobbling down the food Sam offered him, there was no doubt that he’d been starving.
Sam had no idea what Gus’ backstory was or how long he’d been surviving on his own. But it didn’t take long for him to know that he wanted to save the sweet pup from living on the streets.
“[T]he moment he jumped in my car, I knew I wanted to keep him at least long enough to make sure he was safe,” Sam wrote.
While Gus finished his meal, Sam began planning their future together. He worried at first about the financial aspects of caring for Gus, but he never wavered on his promise to keep the pup safe. He drove Gus straight to the vet to make sure he was up to date with vaccines and flea prevention medication.
Thankfully, Gus was healthy. And by that point, Sam had completely fallen for him.
“What definitely made me see a long future with him was his loving nature, calm body language, and just straight-up cuteness,” Sam said.
You can watch footage from Gus’ rescue here:
Sam wasted no time officially adopting the pup, and the two quickly became best friends. It turned out that Gus loved all the same activities as Sam, and they happily spent each day either adventuring outdoors or snuggling at home.
“He absolutely loves being outside and exploring,” Sam said. “I’ve taken him to the beach, hiking, and to rivers/waterfalls.”
Once a downtrodden, soaking wet dog in a fast-food parking lot, Gus is now living his best life by Sam’s side. His coat is shiny, his belly is always full and his smile just keeps growing each day.
For Gus, jumping into a stranger’s car on a rainy afternoon felt like winning the lottery. But Sam believes it’s the other way around.
“Gus gave me a stronger drive to succeed, not just for myself but for him, because he is now my baby and he deserves a loving and stable home,” Sam said.
