Cop who shielded injured dog from scorching sun during heatwave ends up adopting the pup

Editor's note: This article was originally published on July 8, 2022. It has since been updated. 

Kaye Fiorello was driving down a Tennessee highway on a scorching hot day last month when she noticed a highway patrol officer parked just off the road. Although she didn't think much of it at the time, this observation proved helpful within minutes as she spotted something else that gave her pause. "About a mile up the road, this little dog's head popped up on the side of the road," Fiorello told The Dodo. "She looked like she'd been there for some time." Moved by the stranded pup's sorry state, Fiorello wanted to help her and immediately knew who she could approach.

Recalling the patrol officer she'd spotted on her way, Fiorello turned her car around and drove back the way she'd come. She pulled up alongside the officer and informed him about the dog, without a single clue that she'd be changing both of their lives forever with that exchange. "He asked where [she was] and took off after her," Fiorello said. "I followed him, pointing out the area." When they arrived at the spot, they noticed that the dog appeared to be injured and scared. Because she seemed wary of the officer's approach, he brought her water and food in an effort to gain her trust. However, he didn't stop with that.

After calling animal control for assistance, the officer sat by the pup's side holding an umbrella to shield her from the hot sun. Fiorello said she was deeply moved by his dedication to the injured dog. "He told me, 'I'm going to sit right here until she trusts me,'" she recalled, adding that the canine seemed to sense the trooper's kind heart. "She seemed to breathe a happy dog sigh. And those doe eyes—the difference was night and day. They connected. It was powerful. I was crying some happy tears for that girl."

Fiorello, who had to continue on her way before animal rescue arrived, later learned that the dog was successfully rescued and taken to the vet who determined that she had a broken hip. Fortunately, she wouldn't have to heal alone. As it turned out, the connection Fiorello noticed between the pup and the officer was powerful enough to give the dog a new home. A week after finding the dog on the side of the road, injured and alone, the officer adopted the pup. "Adopted! He got her today!" Fiorello said. "Her name is Princess, and she will go home from the vet in a couple, maybe two, weeks."

The whole heartwarming saga was chronicled on Facebook by Fiorello, who wrote: "That trooper dumped his jug of Koolaid out and fashioned a water bowl for her. Then poured a couple of bottles of water. The dog was scared of him but frozen in weakness. She sniffed the water, then realized this kindness was for her! She drank that water down in minutes! And the trooper went and got her some more. She watched him warily the whole time. She sniffed his hand but was still wary. Next thing, he goes to his vehicle and gets a chair and an umbrella. Telling me he will stay here until she trusts him, so he can get her to a shelter, or take her home. I believe his being there at the right time, was one of those little messages reminding us of the good in our world."

In an update shared this week, Fiorello revealed that Princess was released from the vet's office on Friday afternoon. "She has met her new fur-sister, and they're getting along nicely," she revealed. "She's apparently taken her role as Princess, quite literally, snuggling with everyone and being a contented girl. She was clearly someone's lost pet, she's got good manners, even alerting the humans when she needs to go out. So, I'm sorry for whoever lost her but happy for her that she found an awesome new happy furever home! I'm telling ya, except for those soulful eyes, this doesn't even look like the same dog! Pay attention to those Godwinks, people. Sometimes, the wink is sent to you so you can do more for someone else."