It was a sunny June morning in St. Louis, Missouri, when a few residents noticed something amiss in their community. They’d spotted a brown and white dog lying next to a shady tree, and when he stood up, they realized he was tethered to the trunk.
The dog was completely alone, left with nothing but a harness and a long rope attached to it. The rope, tied multiple times around the tree, kept the pup from running away.
The neighbors were concerned, but they hoped the pup’s family had just temporarily left him. They kept an eye on him throughout the day, bringing him snacks and crossing their fingers that his parents would eventually show up.
“By afternoon, they delivered a bowl of water,” Stray Rescue of St. Louis (SRSL) wrote on Instagram. “By evening, they knew he was dumped.”
The neighbors were heartbroken when no one returned for the pup. They quickly called SRSL for help saving him.
When SRSL’s rescue team arrived, led by their chief life saving officer, Donna Lochmann, they fell head over heels for the sweet boy.
“[W]hen we laid eyes on this cute guy, we knew we were in love,” SRSL wrote. “We named him Beans, and he deserves better.”
Seeing Beans, a 1-year-old dog, tied to a tree broke the SRSL rescuers’ hearts, but they knew this was just the beginning of his story. He was finally in safe hands.
The rescue team quickly untied Beans’ rope from the tree and led him to their car. Once inside, the rescuers continued showering him with praise, and the sweet boy couldn’t contain his excitement.
“Your tail is very happy!” Lochmann told Beans in the video posted on Instagram.
You can see that moment here:
They eventually returned to SRSL’s headquarters, where a thorough exam confirmed that Beans was healthy and ready for a foster home. After just a few hours at SRSL, the staff had fallen for Beans and knew one of their trusted foster families would love him, too.
“[He] has the cutest ears. The cutest paws. The cutest pink nose,” SRSL wrote. “Now he just needs a family to tell him how cute he is. To appreciate him, to take care of him, to love him!”
Beans quickly found a loving foster home, where he’s been thriving ever since. He is still searching for a forever home, and his rescuers are confident that the right one will find him soon. As they see it, it’s impossible not to be smitten with him at first sight.
“We promise you will LOVE him,” SRSL wrote in an update on Instagram. “He’s the best.”
