One early Saturday morning, while on patrol in the city, Kareem Garibaldi, an officer with the Lakeland Police Department in Florida, nearly ran over a small dog with his vehicle.
It was only a matter of time until someone unintentionally hit the small boxer/pitbull mix, who appeared to be only 8 weeks old. She was running the street by herself and had no identification.
Knowing he had to save her, Garibaldi hurriedly exited his vehicle, picked up the cute puppy, and returned her to the station.
Then he took the puppy home with him when his shift was over.
Garibaldi hoped the puppy would eventually find its owner, but it would be difficult to find them without a collar, chip, or other kind of identification.
Still, Garibaldi gave it his all. Searching for anyone who might be missing the puppy, he drove up and down the neighborhood where she had been found. Garibaldi shared images of the puppy on social media in the hopes that someone would identify the tiny animal.
Still, in spite of his greatest efforts, Garibaldi was unsuccessful.
The small puppy gave off the impression of being a stray and alone in this world.
She was no longer alone, though. With Garibaldi by his side, the young dog had a caring police officer who was willing to go above and beyond for him.
Immediately following his completion of his third consecutive 12-hour shift, Garibaldi took the puppy to the SPCA Florida Medical Center for an examination.
Although Garibaldi was worn out after his demanding and lengthy shift, the puppy’s needs took first.
Connie Johnson, the safety net manager at the shelter, discovered Garibaldi and the puppy sharing a bed when she got to work.
From 8:45 a.m. till 12:00 p.m., Garibaldi had waited patiently in the waiting area while the veterinarian examined the puppy. The weary cop used the opportunity to take a quick break and rest his eyes while he waited.
After the puppy was checked, it became evident that she would recover well; except from a few mites, she was in good health.
Garibaldi checked on her once she got back from her exam and made sure everything was okay. The tired couple then drifted off to sleep.
Johnson took a photo of the two and shared it on the internet, praising Garibaldi for his selflessness and charity.
Garibaldi returned to the police station with the dog after the examination.
A dispatcher saw the little dog there, fell in love with her right away, and adopted her the same day.
Thank you to Garibaldi, the puppy with the name Hope now has a loving family and a cozy home.