PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Two dogs are looking for a good home after they were dumped along a dirt road in northern Palm Beach County with a heartbreaking message.
The dogs, Mella and Rocky, are happy and friendly which is exactly how their owner described them as being when they wrote in black marker on their harnesses and abandoned them along a road in Jupiter Farms.
The dogs were left with their medical records and a note from their owner pleading for someone to, "please help them," and that they were "sorry but ran out of time and options."
"It's incredibly distressing to know people are willing ready and able to dump their dogs," said Sarah Johnson, who took the dogs in overnight.
On Tuesday, she took the pair over to Janelle Marrone at Furry Friends. The shelter is over capacity at its Jupiter location. They can house 35 dogs but they currently have 45 animals. With Mella and Rocky, Furry Friends will be caring for 47 dogs.
Abandoning an animal is a misdemeanor in Florida, but Marrone said it is still very common.
She said overcrowding at shelters leaves people feeling like there is no place to take their pets. Workers at the shelter said it is currently experiencing a two-month wait period for animal surrenders.
"It happens every day every day," Marrone said. "People just panic and don't know what to do and dump their dogs it's really awful."
Since the dog's owner left their medical records, the shelter has their information and Marrone plans to get in contact with them to find out what led to Mella and Rocky being dumped.
In the meantime, the two dogs will be getting checked out and prepped for adoption, which Johnson is looking forward to.
"I really hope these dogs get adopted and together they are so sweet in the short time they were with us they were a true treasure," Johnson said.
