Dog found chasing cars on roadside in Salt Lake City saved and adopted by couple who opened car door to let dog jump in, resulting in a happy ever after family full of love, dog dad says: ‘He was so well trained, we figured someone was looking for him’

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Mar 1, 2026 3:00 PM EST

Rags to riches stories rarely happen for abandoned roadside puppers, but that is exactly what happened to this dog who got to live the most emotionally rich life after he was saved from the side of the road.

Heck, stories like this rarely happen to hoomans who invented the concept of rags to riches and so it is even more impressive and exciting to see it happen to a pup who wanted nothing more than to be loved in this world. Dogs do not ask for much in their lives, other than treats, walks, cuddles, playtime and love. All of which are not too much to ask of the pawson who has chosen to make you their own. But when a poor pupper is just left to fend for themselves by the side of the road, even the little they ask for becomes quite the luxury.

Which is what makes the wholesome adventure dog lifestyle this pupper got to live when his new family found him all the more rewarding and enriching. So we hope you enjoy this heartfelt story of the dog who had nothing and ended up with everything.
 

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    "Every step of the way, we wondered where this sweet soul came from"
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    Back in May my now wife worked for RedBull at their distribution center on California Ave just south of the SLC Airport. She called
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    me one afternoon and said, "there's a dog on the side of the road that has been here all day chasing cars." Before I could even think I
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    said, "get him!" She opened her passenger side door and the dog jumped right in without hesitation. She came straight home with a dog that reeked like
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    a skunk. After an extensive (and ultimately unsuccessful) bath to rid him of the smell, we posted photos all over Facebook to try to
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  • Now, that is what we are talking about. When it comes to seeing a pupper in a dangerous situation there is no time or room for hesitation. You have to be 100% ready, willing and able to jump into the situation and help out as best you can. For you never know when a situation like this can go south. All it would have taken is one driver looking at their phone and this doggo would not have made it. It is so heartwarming to hear that there are decent dog loving people out there, saving the street dogs of the world. 

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    find his owners. He was so well trained and sweet, we figured someone was certainly looking for him and we would reunite them within a few days.
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    The next morning, I took him to a vet to get his chips read. Two phone numbers were attached to the chip but both were disconnected. We
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    also found out his name was Franklin. We spent months posting on every lost pet forum we could find but no one stepped up. Over
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    that time we fell more and more in love with Franklin. And eventually we stopped posting and quite frankly, we dreaded the day someone would
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    message us. A year later after graduating from the U, and after many hikes in the foothills of Salt Lake City, my wife, Franklin and I
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    packed up and moved to Napa, California where he got to chase birds and rabbits in the vineyards and swim in the Pacific Ocean.
    via CooperDooley

  • Wow, what a turn of events for this doggo. To think that you would go from chasing down cars on the side of the road, to some random woman picking you up in her car, to then go and live the best life you could have ever imagined for yourself? That is truly unreal. We cannot even imagine what it must feel like to be this dog and to truly know how good you have it. So many other puppers are born into this lifestyle and will throw tantrums if they are not given the right kind of treat. But this dog knows the value of the gift he has been given. 

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    During the р .C, we moved to Sarasota, Florida where he was able to swim in the Gulf of Mexico and become the official Dock Dog of the
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    marina I worked at. All the while filling our home with constant companionship and joy. The adventures never stopped. Every step of the way, we
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    wondered where this sweet soul came from, who trained him so well and if/why they would abandon him. Yesterday we said
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    The day we found him
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    goodbye to our sweet boy. He was getting older and had been battling cancer for the past year. Our hearts are broken but we are filled with so much
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    gratitude for the love he brought to our home and for being an anchor for us throughout all of life's changes.
    via CooperDooley

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dogs salt road found city chasing cars reddit story saved adopted couples love family dog story Happily Ever After lake dog dad
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