An exhausted police officer decides to help a puppy dog in distress and a few hours later he will be hailed as a hero!
We all cannot wait to get home after a hard day at work, and even more so if we have just finished three consecutive 12-hour shifts!
And surely Kareem Garibaldi, a police officer from Lakeland, a quiet town in Florida, was also of the same opinion.
Yes, because on that day Kareem had just finished three consecutive 12-hour shifts and you can imagine what condition he was in at the end of his day. But this did not stop him from doing a good deed.
Kareem Garibaldi, who you see in the picture above, was on patrol and was finishing a third consecutive twelve-hour shift. In fact, it was the third day in a row that he had been working these kinds of hours, when he noticed a little dog abandoned by the side of the road. The young puppy was a cross between a boxer and a pit bull and was lying on the sidewalk without a collar, and therefore, apparently without any owners.
Not being able to track down the owners, Kareem decided to take the situation into his own hands and he took the puppy dog to the nearest animal shelter. Above you can see the moving scene that greeted the eyes of Connie Johnson, the manager of the animal shelter --- both the police officer and the puppy, were exhausted, sleeping next to each other in the waiting room.
"He was exhausted and the puppy dog was exhausted and there they were sleeping close to one another, in one of those moments that touch your heart. He was so determined to help that dog!" commented Dr. Johnson.
"It was truly an altruistic gesture, he did not even think for a moment about going home to get a little rest, the only thing he thought about was how to make sure that the little puppy dog survived." At one point, the police officer even woke up to check that his little friend was doing okay!"
The Lakeland police department shared the story on social media and it immediately went viral around the web. Police Officer Kareem Garibaldi also attracted the attention of Dennis A. Ross, a member of the United States Congress, who decided to reward the diligent and compassionate police officer by giving him the "Hometown Hero Award."
"I have dogs too and situations like this melt my heart," said Ross. "With all that is going on around the world, we have to do everything we can, each in their own little way, to make the world a better place."
The puppy dog is doing well now, she only had a few ticks and the veterinary care that she received at the animal shelter soon got her back in good shape. They decided to name her Hope. Once Kareem took Hope to the police station, one of the employees fell madly in love with the puppy and decided to adopt her.
This is the kind of story that we like to spread!
