When a woman in Fayetteville, Georgia, stepped outside her home last week, she found something heartbreaking waiting in her yard — a tiny 13-year-old dachshund mix sitting all alone beside a handwritten note.
The message was simple but devastating:
“I hope whoever gets this [will] please take care of my dog. I love her so much, but I don’t have time for her … I wish I didn’t have to do this, but I have four kids and no time for her.”
The woman took the little senior, later named Reese, into her home to keep her safe.
While she couldn’t adopt Reese herself, she shared the dog’s story in a private Facebook group, hoping someone could help.
That post quickly reached Royal Animal Refuge, a local rescue.
“When we heard about it, obviously we were upset,” shelter director Mariel Weigand told The Dodo. “But at the same time, we thought, ‘Maybe they just didn’t know what to do or who to turn to.’”
“One of our animal control facilities does not take surrenders, so it makes it very hard when you can’t find a rescue, and you don’t have anywhere to go,” Weigand added.
Weigand asked longtime foster volunteer Robyn Klein if she could take Reese. But when Klein’s mother, Suzy Reeves, laid eyes on the sweet little dog, something clicked.
“[Robyn’s] mom is an older lady, and she had just recently lost her own dog a few months ago,” Weigand said. “She stepped up to foster … but Robyn told me her mom is already so in love with Reese.”
At first, Reeves planned only to foster — but her heart quickly made the decision for her. Yesterday, it became official: Reese has a forever home.
“She’s very happy to give her a home,” Weigand said. “She told me Reese is going to be loved, and it’s a happy ending.”
From being abandoned on a lawn with nothing but a note to being cherished again, Reese’s story is proof that every dog deserves a second chance.
If you’d like to help other dogs like Reese find their happy ending, you can make a donation to Royal Animal Refuge.
