When Fitzwater’s husband visited a remote mine for work one day, he noticed a lone dog wandering nearby. She had no collar, no owner in sight — just a hopeful look in her eyes.
At first, he thought she might belong to someone nearby. But after seeing her again and again on each visit, it became clear: someone had abandoned her there.
“Each time [my husband] would go to this mine, she would run to him and smile at him,” Fitzwater told The Dodo. “Someone had dropped her off in the area.”
That smile was all it took. She had already chosen him — and he couldn’t walk away.
On one of his trips, he made the decision that would change both of their lives: he brought the sweet, stray pup home. They named her Sadie Kate, and from that moment on, she was family.
Her days of waiting alone were over — but still, every single day, she waits for something special: the moment her rescuer comes home from work.
“I work from home, so I started noticing her just looking down the street waiting on him and thought it was cute,” Fitzwater said. “I never dreamed she would continue doing it every day.”
But she does. Rain or shine, Sadie Kate takes her spot, eyes fixed on the road, heart full of anticipation.
The man who once rescued her is now her favorite person in the world — and she makes sure he knows it every time he walks through the door.
“She hit the jackpot when she smiled at him,” Fitzwater said. “And he hit the jackpot, too.”
