Woman Finds Dog Tied To A Park Sign In San Diego And Discovers A Note Left Beside Him

When Erica got a call from her neighbor one morning in San Diego, she didn’t expect it to turn into a rescue mission. But the moment she heard the urgency in his voice, she dropped everything.

Her neighbor had been walking through Balboa Park when he spotted a gray pit bull tied to a sign near a quiet area known as Juniper’s Staircase. The dog was alone, and something about the scene didn’t sit right.

Knowing Erica had a soft spot for pit bulls, and a history of rescuing them, he reached out, hoping she could help.

Erica rushed to the park and found the dog just as described: tied to the sign, sitting patiently, and looking up with tired eyes and a hopeful wag of his tail. But what truly broke her heart was the crumpled note left beside him. As she wrote on Instagram:

“Just got him, and it was too much for me. Nice dog. Can’t keep him, and the original owner doesn’t want him back. Please help.”

It was clear the dog had been passed around and ultimately left behind. Erica didn’t hesitate. 

She untied him, gave him a reassuring pat, and led him to her car. He didn’t resist, in fact, he seemed thrilled to be going anywhere at all.

“Everyone is this guy’s new best friend, so it was easy to get him into the car. In fact, he was thrilled to go for a ride.”

She named him Juniper, after the spot where he was found. As they drove home, Juniper couldn’t stop smiling. 

When they arrived, he rushed to the toy bin and dog beds shared by Erica’s three pit bulls. It was like he’d never had toys before, he was overjoyed.

But as sweet and friendly as Juniper was, he struggled to settle in with Erica’s other dogs. 

She knew he needed a quieter space and began searching for a foster home that would better suit him. When no immediate options came up, she made the tough decision to bring him to the San Diego Humane Society.

Still, Erica wasn’t walking away. She visited Juniper every single day while he was on his stray hold and waiting to be neutered. She brought treats not just for him, but for all the dogs in his ward.

“I went in every day while he was in there on his ‘stray’ hold and until they could neuter him. I brought him and all of the dogs on his ward treats.”

Once Juniper was neutered, he became eligible for foster care. Erica kept searching, and finally, she found a loving foster family ready to welcome him. 

After waiting a few days to see if anyone would come forward to claim him, which no one did, she picked him up from the shelter and brought him to his new temporary home.

Now renamed Juno, the sweet pit bull finally got the second chance he deserved, all because someone cared enough to stop and help.

He’s soaking up affection, playing with toys, and enjoying the comfort of a real home. Erica is confident that it won’t be long before the right family finds him. As she said:

“I don’t think he will have any problems finding a home with how extremely friendly he is!”

And she was right! As they say, the third time’s the charm!

Juno, now named Duke for good, is thriving in his forever home! As Erica shared just a few weeks later:

“Update on Juniper! Now Duke- he’s loving life with his new family where his best friend is a little boy named Dylan. I love the idea of a big doofy dog that’s inseparable with his kid. Duke is just a happy go lucky derpy dude.”

If you want to see more of Erica’s rescues, you can find her on Instagram.