Dog Found Abandoned at Gas Station: 'She Was Hoping They Would Come Back'

A family who took in a dog found abandoned at a gas station in Louisiana are appealing for help in paying for the pet pooch's much-needed veterinary care.

Cody Weishaar and his family were returning from a trip to Florida when they pulled into a gas station at Tallulah, Louisiana, to fill up.

It was during this brief stop that the family noticed a dog wandering around, appearing lost and confused at her surroundings.

A worker at the gas station then said the animal had been dumped there earlier that day by her owners.

Even so, the Weishaars could see the dog was waiting for someone to return, and Cody told Newsweek it was as if "she was hoping they would come back."

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), an estimated 3.1 million dogs enter animal shelters in the U.S. every year, and while many are rehomed or returned to their owners, around 390,000 dogs are euthanized annually.

It's alarming to think what might have happened in this particular instance - there's every chance the dog found at that Louisiana gas station might have even slipped through the cracks and ended up living as a stray.

Thankfully, however, the Weishaar family intervened to give the dog the support and care she so desperately needed, and they named her, Lulu, in honor of her Louisiana roots.

The Weishaars, who are dog owners themselves, immediately saw that Lulu was hungry and thirsty.

"We gave her some water. We always drive around with a bag of dog food in our car so we tried to give her some," Cody Weishaar said. "She would eat a few bites and then wander around before coming back for more bites."

The family soon became aware of the fact that Lulu was being taunted by a nearby homeless man.

"He was terrorizing her," Weishaar said. "He would call her over and then run at her, causing her to run away. She seemed desperate, so each time, he tried calling her, she would walk towards him."

Determining that "there was no way we could leave her there" the Weishaars decided to load Lulu into the back of their car and carry on with the drive home.

"She seemed so nervous. She was pacing back and forth in the seat," Weishaar said. "Eventually, my wife got in the back and sat with her and she laid down.

"She started to decompress and instantly fell asleep. It was as if the fear just completely exhausted her and she was passed out the rest of the drive."

Back home in Fort Smith, Arkansas, it quickly became apparent to the family that Lulu had not been living the life of any normal dog. Weishaar said: "I don't believe she had ever been on a leash because she tried chewing on it a lot and didn't quite understand it at first."

"We also suspected she had been used for breeding because her breasts were enlarged," Weishaar added.

Since arriving at their home, the family have been trying to give Lulu the space and peace necessary to "decompress" away from the rest of their dogs. At night, she sleeps in their guest room, with Cody's wife, Kaylae, keeping her company.

In the space of a few short days, "Lulu has gotten a lot more energetic," Weishaar said. "She now jumps on us when we get home and is no longer shy when we lift our hand to pet her. She also started chewing on a toy for the first time last night."

Even so, Lulu is still in need of urgent veterinary care, with Weishaar saying she was in "bad shape" when they found her. She has had a round of shots and been treated for fleas and ticks.

Lulu is also set to be spayed to improve her quality of life, but she has also tested positive for heartworms, a serious condition that can result in lung disease, heart failure and other organ damage for dogs.

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The Weishaars are desperate for Lulu to begin treatment to combat the condition and have set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the costs. She is taking oral pills for the heartworms, with rounds of shots starting from October.

The Weishaars are hoping to find Lulu a new owner, though they haven't ruled out making her part of the clan.

"We are actively looking for a forever home for her," Weishaar said. "But each day that goes by, we are more and more attached.