A heartbreaking video posted on social media showing a small Bull Terrier mix desperately chasing its owner’s car has struck a chord with dog lovers in Long Beach, California.
The video was recorded by a food delivery driver who said she saw someone in a Lexus push the dog out of the car.
As the Lexus drove off, that delivery driver followed the car for several blocks and watched as the dog gave chase and desperately tried to jump back into the car. Eventually the Lexus sped off at Cherry Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway, leaving the dog behind.
“The owner is literally leaving him… look! Oh my God,” the food delivery driver can be heard saying in the video. “Look, poor dog. The dog is just being left. Get your dog!”
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
Destiny Gomez, a 24-year-old dog lover who helps pets find homes, saw the video and messaged the delivery driver.
“When I watched that video, it broke my heart,” Gomez said. “I could not stop crying. I could not keep the dog out of my mind.”
Gomez shared the video on her Instagram account and to her network of dog lovers to help find the four-legged pooch. Within hours, they located the dog.
U.S. & World
“We also got coordinates of streets like where someone saw him, so they were like, 'Can you go there?'" said Gomez. “My boyfriend went and he actually found him.”
The two were able to secure the dog, feed him and groom him. They named him Chico and found a foster parent for him in Palos Verdes. Gomez is still looking for a forever home for the pooch.
“Usually when I find a dog … I’ll reach out to rescues because that is the best option for that dog," she said.
