Dog found in abandoned campground is returned to, but rejects original home in turn of events choosing his rescuers over his first family, rescuers say: ‘We really had no intention of keeping him... but he was perfect.’

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Dec 29, 2025 11:00 AM EST

Sadly, dogs are abandoned in a bunch of creative and surprising places. Though in this story we come across a dog who was not exactly abandoned but who certainly seemed so when our rescuers initially came across him hanging out at an abandoned campground. But what turned out to be true about this dog was far more convoluted and complex than some simple abandonment in the middle of nowhere. For this doggo, with the temperament of a canine who had been cuddled all their life, had actually run away from home.

And when his rescuers tried to do the right thing and return him to the people who raised him to be the good boy that he was when they met him, they were shocked by the call they got a few days later. It just goes to show that with something as pure and honest as the soul of a pupper, you never quite know when and how they will choose where they want to be. The best we can do is hope that it is with us, the people who raised them, and if not, then it was simply never meant to be and there is another family who deserve to love that doggo.

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    "I'm in love with my new little sidekick "
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    This is the story of how I met Jet. My husband and I had decided to drive out to the woods near our house and find somewhere for our dog Lucy (8 year old GSD) to play. We ended up going to
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    an old abandoned campground since it's generally empty and has a river for our pup to swim in. When we arrived there was a large black dog with no collar hanging out at the entrance. I was
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    worried he may be lost or abandoned but thought maybe his owner was around somewhere. We decided if he was still there when we left we'd have to figure out something to do
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    with him because I couldn't just leave him there. The dog followed us for awhile before disappearing again. But on our way out I caught him watching from a distance. We loaded up Lucy and I
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  • Well, you really do have to give these pawrents quite the tip of the hat considering that they took such a caring approach to this strange dog. Many would be fearful that the pup would do something to them or their dog. But not these canine caring hoomans. For them it was all about making sure that a doggo in need would not be left without the help and support it deserved. 

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    Cheezburger Image 10591625728
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    went back to try and see if the black dog would come to me. He was skittish and wouldn't let me get too close before he would bark and run away. After about 30 minutes my husband decided it was time
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    to call it quits and that we should go and call animal control once we got back into service. But I was sad and worried he would get hurt out there. We came across a rural gas station and
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    stopped and grabbed some dog food and decided to try one more time. After a bit more trying we finally earned his trust and we were able to leash him and get him into the car.
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    Lucy didn't seem the least bit perturbed by the new addition. He was filthy but appeared well cared for otherwise. We took him to the vet to see if he was chipped but he wasn't. We decided
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    Home Again Stres the
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    to bring him home since it was getting late and filled out a found dog form with the humane society and posted to our local FB group. We really had no intention of keeping him... but he was
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    perfect. We got him cleaned up and he never fought when it was time to bathe. He was potty trained with perfect manners and got along great with Lucy. He was a bit
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  • Ok wow, that is rather mind blowing. Now, dogs are incredibly intuitive creatures. And we can only assume that they way that this couple handled themselves and handled getting this doggo to come home with them largely contributed to the resounding success they are now having with integrating this pupper into their own family. Even if it is just for a short and temporary period. Even those who adopt dogs into their home, rarely have this much success with them off the bat. 

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    skittish and had some separation a y but aside from that had no behavioral issues at all. And I fell in love. We decided to call him Jet. After a couple weeks
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    Cheezburger Image 10591625984
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    we were beginning to think he had just been abandoned. But then about 3 weeks later, his owner found the Facebook post and contacted us. I was devastated but we
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    did the right thing and returned him, thinking it just wasn't meant to be and that at least he was reunited with his owner. BUT THEN! One week later the owner
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    reached out to us again, he told us that ever since coming home Jet had been having behavioral issues and had been destructive and not getting along with his other dogs. He
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    asked if we were interested in taking him back for good. Guys I can't tell you how excited I was. I was reunited with my baby and he's been with us ever since. He's an
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    absolute angel. He loves to cuddle and play with Lucy. He follows me absolutely everywhere and never causes any trouble. I don't know for sure why he
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    suddenly started having trouble after going back to his other owner but I like to believe it's because he wanted to come back to us. Whatever it was I'm in love with my new
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    little sidekick and could not be happier. Side note if you're still here and interested: we found out from the owner he's a German shepherd lab mix and is 3 years old.
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dogs found abandoned rejection reddit story shocking perfect camping family dog story return home Dog Rescue original
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