When a woman in California found a dog, cold, wet and afraid, on the driveway of her home, she assumed he was simply lost—but then she checked her security camera.
Jasmine Gutierrez from Duarte told Newsweek she was woken early that day by the sound of a dog barking right outside her window. She checked the security cameras installed outside her home and was confronted by an unexpected sight. “I saw this French bulldog in my driveway,” Gutierrez told Newsweek. “It was pouring with rain, and this sweet girl was soaked through.”
Gutierrez went outside to try to get the dog to shelter but “she was afraid.” It took an hour of gentle coaxing before the dog could be convinced to take refuge in the box Gutierrez had decked out with blankets and food.
When she did finally take shelter, Gutierrez headed inside to check the cameras again and see how the animal had ended up at her door. “I eventually found a clip where it shows she was actually left at 2:16 a.m., just abandoned in the middle of the road by a minivan,” Gutierrez said. “She came to my yard since I had my gate opened and it was the closest. This poor dog was alone for four hours in the cold before I discovered her.”
It is impossible to know how many dogs end up abandoned in the U.S. every year. Any that do end up in the shelter system, however, are classed as strays. According to the ASPCA, 5.8 million cats and dogs entered shelters and rescues in 2024. Of that number, around 60 percent were strays.
Watching the footage of this dog being so callously discarded in the middle of the road left Gutierrez “in shock.” “I couldn’t understand why someone would do this,” she said.
In search of answers, she decided to post the footage to her TikTok, @jassgutierrezzz. “I shared it online in the hope it would reach people in my community so we could come together to try and find the person who did this and hold them accountable,” she said.
Unfortunately, Gutierrez’s camera didn’t pick up the license plate of the car involved, making identification difficult. Reading the comments accompanying the clip, Gutierrez found several compelling theories as to why the dog was left there.
“People were saying maybe she was just used to breed then dumped because they no longer needed her or that maybe she could’ve been stolen and then they abandoned her,” she said.
But, among the shocked responses, Gutierrez got a reply from someone who was able to help. “A rescue got in contact with me and actually came to get this sweet girl,” she said. “I couldn’t keep her as I have a dog of my own and two young babies, so my hands are definitely full.”
The canine ended up being taken in by Piper, the founder of Hand In Paw, a nonprofit dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and adoption of homeless, neglected, and abused animals.
Though Gutierrez is no closer to identifying the individual who abandoned the dog, the good news is that the poor pup’s story has a happy ending. “She is healthy and thriving now and is set up for a potential forever home,” Gutierrez said.
