Dog Shows Up at Woman’s Door in Freezing Weather—She Knows What To Do

A woman has been hailed online after helping her neighbor’s dog who was kept outside in all weathers, and thanks to her decisive action, the sweet pup has finally found a home.

In November 2024, Justice Alright, 26, spotted her neighbor’s dog, named Marshall, outside despite the cold temperature. The Blue Heeler was left outside with a German shepherd “in the freezing weather.” Alright told Newsweek that they only had shelter when they were “locked in a storm shelter” from time to time.

The longer the dogs were left outside, Marshall started to escape the yard—only to end up outside Alright’s door instead. He started to show up at her door “day or night,” whenever he needed food or wanted human contact.

“From my knowledge, he was never allowed inside,” Alright, of Stephens County, Oklahoma, said. “He would show up whenever he thought me or my other neighbor (who also helped in the situation) were awake. He would just run to our houses.”

This continued through to January 2025, and Alright grew increasingly concerned about the dog’s welfare. He was “skinny and starving,” and she did everything she could to help.

At first, Alright was reluctant to let Marshall into her home, so she tried to maintain some boundaries by only playing with him outside. However, as the temperatures dropped, she knew she needed to take him inside to give him a fighting chance.

Alright said: “I started taking the dog in at night, feeding him and then letting him back outside during the day. We kept the dog inside of our house for four days straight at one point, due to the snow and freezing temperatures.

“When he was here, he always ate his food as if it were his last meal. Before we even fed him, he had diarrhea, but we didn’t have the funds to take him to the vet.”

On several occasions, Alright returned Marshall to her neighbors and alerted them to the fact that he’d been showing up at her door. But she said they would just “put him back in the yard” every time, and he’d wind up back outside her house shortly after.

After taking Marshall in for several days, Alright grew tired of being so helpless and knew she needed to find a long-term solution. As a result, she posted about her dilemma on social media (@justicewtf on TikTok and @justicealright on Instagram) to seek advice from others.

The videos about Marshall went viral with over 2.2 million views on TikTok and 3 million views on Instagram.

Many social media users implored Alright to contact animal control who could remove the dogs from the property and get them to safety. So, that was exactly what she did in January.

“Animal Control came and they left a letter in their door stating that they had three days to pick the dog up before he was surrendered to the Humane Society. Which he was, and he was given his shots and fixed,” Alright told Newsweek.

Her main fear was that Marshall would be euthanized, but they assured Alright that he would be placed in a shelter in search of a loving home.

After only a few weeks, that day finally came as Marshall was adopted from the shelter. He was also given the new name of Bluey, which certainly suits him well. Stephens County Humane Society of Oklahoma shared a post on Facebook in February showing Bluey with his adopters, ahead of going to his forever home.

Alright never imagined that this experience would generate so much attention online, but she’s incredibly thankful to all the internet users who offered support and advice.

“We showed Bluey love in the short time we spent with him, and he was the happiest, sweetest boy. We would have loved to adopt him, but our neighbors didn’t want that. We had to do what was best for him in the end, and I’m grateful to the people online that were so helpful,” Alright said.

The viral video showing the dog outside her door has amassed over 30,000 comments across TikTok and Instagram. Many people praised Alright for taking action, and some even encouraged her to keep him herself (although that wasn’t feasible).

One comment reads: “Keep him, he’s decided who he wants to be with.”

Another person wrote: “Don’t shame his love by sending him back anywhere else.”

While another social media user commented: “They probably don’t even notice that he’s away. Save that baby!”

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