The Daily Populous Friday May 8th, 2026 morning edition
Authored by themirror.com and submitted by TheMirrorUS

'Sweet' dog abandoned at Walmart for 3 days with all its toys finds new home

A sweet German Shepherd abandoned outside a Walmart in California finally finds his home in Washington after experiencing a "rollercoaster" journey

View Image A pup abandoned outside a California Walmart has finally found his new home. (Image: https://www.instagram.com/barknwalk_)

A pup abandoned outside a California Walmart has finally found his new home.

Leanna Ayala, of the pet photography studio Bark N Walk, posted a video on Instagram showing the dog at Walmart, next to a box of toys. The video states, "He waited for 3 days before animal control showed up," adding, "He was calm, sweet, and docile while he was on the street."

The video's caption noted that the German Shepherd was clearly "not a vicious monster" based on his behavior in an unfamiliar place. "The way a dog acts in a shelter is usually not representative of their true personality. It’s a loud, scary place."

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Ayala theorized why the canine's former owner left him, noting in the caption that perhaps it was "their only choice" because German Shepherds "get euthanized so fast at our shelters, and they feared this would happen to him."

After being picked up by animal control, the pup was taken to the Hesperia Animal Shelter, according to the post. Though he had a roof over his head, he was still at risk of euthanasia. But that's not where the pup's, named Maverick, story ends.

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In an update to the original post, Ayala revealed that after working with local rescues and setting up a GoFundMe, she and others helped the canine, now named Maverick, find a foster-to-adopt family in Washington.

"What a rollercoaster, am I right?! From abandoned at Walmart with all his toys, to a new life in WA," she wrote in a new post.

"He leaves the shelter May 5th!! Thank you to everyone that donated. This is all possible thanks to you!!" Ayala added.

In the post's caption, Ayala thanked Chiko's Pawz On Wheelz, Iron Paw Rescue, and transport volunteers for helping the sweet canine find a loving home.

"It literally took a village. Because of them, Maverick gets to have a second chance at life in Washington!" she wrote, adding that Maverick now has his own Instagram page as well.

"Please consider following them and donating so they can continue to save pups in need," her caption reiterated.

Lonely_Noyaaa on May 7th, 2026 at 20:33 UTC »

the fact that the owner left all his toys with him says a lot and they clearly cared enough to pack his stuff, but still dumped him at a Walmart. Maybe they were desperate and thought the shelter would euthanize him right away, which is depressingly common for German Shepherds around there.

rewrite-that-noise on May 7th, 2026 at 19:35 UTC »

We adopted a 2-yo rescue German Shepherd and it was severely abused by a man his whole life. I loved him immediately. He never showed me love back, only skiddishness no matter how hard I tried. He protected my wife and daughters unconditionally though and so we kept him for 14 more years until we finally, and so sadly, had to put him down. Love rescues.

Modem_Sound_67 on May 7th, 2026 at 19:12 UTC »

We have two dogs. we only get rescues. this is why.

There are so many sweet and good boys and girls out there neglected and abused by bad humans who deserve good homes.

Our latest, a corgi, snuggles me constantly. It breaks my heart to think of what such a sweet girl had to endure before she landed in her forever home.