New York Police Department officer Michael Pascale was on patrol when he passed a public park and noticed a small dog chained to a fence, trembling in the cold rain.
The poor dog was surrounded by discarded needles and broken beer bottles. His frightened eyes seemed to tell Pascale exactly what he needed.
“He was just staring up at me with ‘Help Me’ eyes,” Pascale recalled.
He immediately sent a photo of the dog to his wife along with a message asking how anyone could treat an innocent animal that way.
Her response was simple:
“Bring him home.”
Pascale took the dog, whom he named Joey, to animal control. There, he learned that stray animals were required to remain under a three-day hold before they could be adopted.
Joey clearly didn’t want his rescuer to leave.
Pascale promised him he would return—and he kept that promise. Every day, he came back during his lunch break to spend time with Joey.
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The frightened dog quickly became comfortable around him. While sitting in his kennel, Joey even fell asleep with his head resting on Pascale’s hand.
For both of them, those three days seemed to pass far too slowly.
When the waiting period finally ended, Pascale returned to take Joey home.
The moment Joey walked through the door, it seemed as though he knew he had finally found where he belonged.
Today, Joey is happily settled with Pascale and his family. He has become a true mama’s boy and is now proudly Pascale’s “number one partner.”
