When Tyler Wilson stumbled on a lonely dog at a gas station, the sad sight struck a chord and he knew he had to help. But after reading the dog’s ID tag, Wilson’s heart filled with joy.

Watching the dog roaming around all alone broke Tyler Wilson’s heart. The canine was so friendly that it seemed like such a waste that he had no one to love. So in an effort to help, Wilson checked the animal’s ID tag. And what it revealed brought tears to his eyes.

It was in January 2017 that Wilson visited a gas station in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first; indeed, Wilson was just casually filling up his car as usual to begin with. Then, however, he spotted something strange: out there on the forecourt was a dog.

The pooch in question was a yellow Labrador. And the dog seemed friendly, even going so far as to walk right up to Wilson. However, the fact that the animal was all alone in such a strange place naturally concerned the kind stranger.

Furthermore, Wilson realized he’d seen the dog earlier. “I’ve seen the dog a couple weeks before around that area,” Wilson told The Dodo. “So when he came up to me at the gas station and sat next to me, I was like, ‘This dog has been lost for a while.’”

And, as a result, Wilson had some concerns regarding the animal’s welfare. After all, a gas station was no place for a dog to live. Still, the young man wasn’t sure just how he could help.

But he was close to a clue. While looking down on the friendly Labrador, in fact, Wilson noticed something unexpected. Despite the fact that the dog was seemingly a stray, he wore a collar.

Furthermore, an ID tag clearly hung from the blue collar. So Wilson duly checked the metal disk for any information he could gather about the dog’s home or owner. But what he read on the tag warmed his heart and eased his mind.

The ID revealed that the dog was in fact known as Dew. “I am not lost,” it read. “I like to roam. Tell me to go home.” Obviously, the revelation came as a huge relief to Wilson. Dew was simply a free spirit.

“Once I saw it, we both looked at each other and I knew he was okay,” he told The Dodo. “It was so cute.” He continued, “I pet him and even hugged him. He got me a little wet from the rain, but it was worth it.”

However, now that he’d made a connection with Dew, Wilson had to learn more about the dog. And, curiously enough, the good Samaritan discovered that the dog was well known in the area for his escapades. The lab even had his own Facebook page to document his adventures.

And after Wilson posted a tweet saying he wanted to meet Dew again, the dog’s owners contacted him on Twitter. “He is home napping,” Mandey Lee replied. “He had a date at the fire department this evening, but he will try to fit you in later this week!”

In fact, even though Dew had many friends in town, he always returned home to his family. “Dew loves to make new friends,” they told The Dodo. “Fortunately, Dew is chipped and wears a GPS tracker so when his sneaky little self gets out and about, we always know where he is! He just likes to spread the love.”

“The firehouse guys just love him, he has even been on rides with them,” Lee added in an interview with BuzzFeed. “The ladies on our street will cook extra steak or hamburgers just to save them for when Dew comes by.”

And the Lees have had Dew for more than six years. They also own a black Labrador named Lily, whom they lovingly refer to as Dew’s sister. And, apart from his adventures, their golden-colored hound lives a pretty normal life.

Moreover, according to Lee he’s simply a “family farm dog.” When he is out exploring, though, his owners do everything in their power to make sure he’s safe. “He is very monitored, does not go far, is home every night and does not miss a meal,” Lee said to BuzzFeed.

And it’s not as if Dew’s normally enclosed, either, as the family live on a 70-acre farm. However, despite having plenty of space to explore at home, he seemingly can’t resist wandering far and wide to make new friends. In fact, the dog has touched so many hearts that he now boasts over 22,000 followers on Facebook.

The social networking site is also where Dew’s family share photos from his life on the farm. Additionally featured are those documenting his various travels in the nearby area. And among the many posts on the page is one that reveals the canine’s soft and caring nature.

“A lady called us saying Dew was at her house,” the post from January 2017 began. “She lived two streets over. She was on her porch crying and really going through a hard time. Dew had come up on her porch and consoled her,” it revealed.

“We told her we would come get him if he was bothering her,” Dew’s family wrote. “She said no. He was her angel that night and she would tell him to go home when she went inside. He is such a loving dog.”

So, while letting pet dogs roam free is not recommended, it seems that the whole community keeps a watchful eye on Dew. And, as long as they know he’s safe, the dog’s family don’t mind sharing him with the world. After all, he simply has too much love to give to keep him to themselves.

And gas stations aren’t the only places where lonely pooches have been found. Samantha the dog was discovered in a parking lot in Memphis after her harrowing howls were heard nearby. But unlike Dew, it seems that Samantha was abandoned. And it would be nine long days before anyone could help her.

In December 2015 a representative from Sunny Meadows animal shelter attended to a harrowing scene at Sam’s Club parking lot in Memphis, Tennessee. Moreover, when they arrived at the site, what they saw and heard was truly heartbreaking. There, in the middle of the lot, was a lone dog howling out for attention.

It seemed that the dog’s owners had heartlessly dumped the little white pooch, who was crying out for them to return. But sadly, they never did. And while Sunny Meadows staff tried for two whole days to retrieve the dog, she refused to go with them. It was as though she was still clinging on to the hope that she’d see her loved ones again.

With time ticking on, Sunny Meadows contacted Arrow Dog Rescue for help. This animal welfare organization specializes in the rescue and rehoming of stray dogs. Therefore, its expertise would surely come in handy at the parking lot.

That’s when Mary Murphy from Arrow Dog Rescue first arrived on the scene. The animal rescuer tried in vain to reach out to the poor pooch, but the dog seemed wary of strangers. And so Murphy had little option but to wait it out.

In fact, armed with a lawn chair and a novel, Murphy made herself at home in the parking lot. She even brought her own dog along for company. The plan was to let the stray gradually get used to her, before Murphy attempted to bring her to safety. And so for days Murphy simply sat and watched as the dog searched the car windows in a desperate bid to find her owner.

Finally, after more than three days, the dog appeared to warm to Murphy. And after a total of nine days, the animal lover was able to get a collar on the dog and bring her home. Jeff Guy, the owner of a nearby auto market, helped Murphy and named the fur baby Samantha.

Murphy’s colleagues at the rescue were quick to note that the dog was in great shape. “She seemed to be in really good condition,” Kimberley Slown from Arrow Dog Rescue told The Dodo. “It really looked someone just took off her collar and drove off.”

Image: Facebook/Arrow Dog Rescue-Animal Rescue Revolution on Wheels

After arriving at the shelter, Samantha received a full check-up from a vet. Later, Arrow Dog Rescue shared the dog’s heartbreaking story on its Facebook page. And soon, adoption offers began flooding in for the adorable doggy.

Image: Facebook/Arrow Dog Rescue-Animal Rescue Revolution on Wheels

Samantha also received a number of kind comments from well-wishers on social media. “Her howling is so heartbreaking! I just don’t understand how anyone can abandon and/or abuse their animals. My animals have always been family to me, not just an animal,” wrote one Facebook user in 2015.

Image: Facebook/Arrow Dog Rescue-Animal Rescue Revolution on Wheels

Writing on the same post, another added, “The video was heartbreaking. Thanks to the hearts of gold of the Mary Murphys, volunteers, and rescuers that save babies like this that are abandoned by their family. That is animal abuse in my book.”

Image: Facebook/Arrow Dog Rescue-Animal Rescue Revolution on Wheels

And with all the interest in her, it wasn’t long before Samantha found a foster home. “Sam went home this morning with her foster adopt home,” Slown revealed to the Huffington Post. “If all works out, she will be adopted by them in two weeks.”

Image: Facebook/Arrow Dog Rescue-Animal Rescue Revolution on Wheels

In the meantime, Arrow Dog Rescue turned its attention to locating the person who had dumped Samantha in the first place. “So hoping that the former family of this dog has seen her, and the loneliness and sadness she shared for 9 days waiting for them to come back. The more times it is shared, the more likely someone who knows her former owner will come forward to tell us who they are,” the shelter pleaded on Facebook in 2015.

According to Slown, it is unlikely that Samantha’s owners accidentally left her behind. “This is an area where animals are dumped,” she told the Huffington Post. “Dogs often times will stay where they are dumped in the hopes that their family will be back for them,” she added.

However, while the search for her former owners was on, Samantha was busy settling in to her foster home. And an update from her foster family revealed that the canine had even made a fellow four-legged friend. In fact, she’d found a new buddy in the form of Ariya, the brown dachshund.

Luckily for both Samantha and Ariya, the foster period went well. After all, the family decided to adopt the former stray for good. And not only did the dog gain a loving mom named Lori Pastore, but she also bagged three furry siblings. They too had started out life as rescue dogs.

The month after her adoption, in January 2016, Arrow Dog Rescue posted an update on Samantha on its Facebook page. “[Her adoptive family] said it is like she has been with them forever, and she is their dog’s best friend! She has been named Aries, and we couldn’t be happier for her,” it wrote.

Image: Facebook/Arrow Dog Rescue-Animal Rescue Revolution on Wheels

The family had undoubtedly changed Samantha’s life. And it seemed, in turn, that she had changed theirs. “My life will be forever changed because of Arrow Rescue and the two wonderful women Kim and Terri that run the rescue. These two women focus so much of their lives on saving dogs and giving them a chance at living,” Pastore gushed on Facebook in 2016.

Image: Facebook/Arrow Dog Rescue-Animal Rescue Revolution on Wheels

“I thank them with all my heart for bringing Aries (Samantha) and Ace into my life,” Pastore continued. “They have given me unconditional love and been there for me when humans just weren’t. I pray that someday people will realize why dogs are here and give them the homes and lives they deserve.”

In December 2016 Samantha – now known as Aries – celebrated her one-year anniversary in her new home. Luckily for her, she has ended up with a family who completely adore her. And, most importantly, they’ll never leave her alone again.