This ‘unloved’ pup was trapped in a hot empty house after his family moved and forgot about him (VIDEO)

Freon, a 2-year-old boxer mix, was left behind by his owners who couldn’t take him with them and then simply ‘forgot’ he was trapped in a stairwell of a hot empty house. When help arrived two weeks later, the pooch was so relieved to see people again, he couldn’t stop showing how grateful he was. Thriving in a new home, Freon is now a happy dog who is loved and cherished.

‘He wasn't loved, nor cherished’

Donna Lochmann, a chief officer at Stray Rescue of St. Louis couldn't believe her ears after she had got a call about a dog trapped alone in a hot house for over a week. A local landlord contacted the shelter and reported an abandoned dog in one of his properties.

The pooch’s owners had moved to a home that didn’t allow pets. So they heartlessly left their furry family member locked up in a staircase. It took them a week to remember their dog and let the landlord know.

The shelter wrote in a Facebook post:

He wasn't loved, nor cherished. He was left behind and the owners didn't even tell their landlord they left their dog there.

The rescue

Hearing this, Donna Lochmann didn’t lose a moment, jumped in a car and drove straight to the house. She said:

When I cracked the door [open], I saw him huddling on one of the landings.

Distressed and stuck in such a small space, the resilient dog managed to survive almost two weeks. There were bowls of food and water left behind in the stairwell making you wonder if his cruel abandonment had been planned.

The rescuer went down the stairs to come closer to the pup, and to her surprise, she didn’t meet any objections from his side. The pooch was craving human company so much that ‘after just a little bit of coaxing with Vienna sausages’ he obediently let Lochmann put a leash on him and followed her outside.

A new name and a new chapter in life

The animal rescuer didn’t know the dog’s name but when she saw how much the pooch was enjoying the cool air in the car after having been trapped in a hot house, she knew exactly what to call him. She explained:

He kind of stood up front with us and pushed his face against the air conditioner vents. That’s why he got the name Freon because he liked the cold air on his face.

Safe in the shelter, Freon ‘immediately stole everyone’s hearts’, The Dodo writes. The charity’s post read:

When we got there, this sweet, young dog was so grateful to see us. He sat on our laps during his freedom ride pushing his face against us (and the air conditioning vents!), and kissed everyone in our clinic … He is incredibly loving and cute.

According to the rescue, they’ve never seen any other dog behave so friendly despite the heartbreak and ordeal.

Freon was checked by the vets who helped him replenish his energy and gave the green light for adoption.

Unsurprisingly, the furry survivor wasn't ‘on the market’ for too long and found not only a loving human family but also a canine sibling.

Stray Rescue of St. Louis shared their delight over Freon’s happy ending:

We love you, buddy. [There’s] no looking back.

Sources used:

- The Dodo: 'Loyal Dog Waits For Weeks In Empty House After Family Leaves Him Behind'

Read more:

⋙ This abandoned pup was thrown off a bridge 'like rubbish' in a plastic bag

⋙ This traumatised abandoned pup suffered from a 'vicious cycle of stress'

⋙ 'Dumped like a piece of rubbish': rescue’s horror after dog 'hours-from-death' found abandoned in a park