A pitbull abandoned at a New York City subway station found her forever home when a woman spotted her in an Instagram post asking for help.
Heather Hamm, a photographer based in the city, said she was thinking about getting a dog when she stumbled upon a picture of the poor pitbull who was left chained to a hand rail at the Fulton Street station in Manhattan.
The post was from the “NYC Free at the Curb” Instagram account, where New Yorkers put up photos of items being tossed out in the streets that could be helpful for anyone.
But instead of the usual furniture of home decorations, the picture Hamm found was of the sorrowful dog sitting alone in the station as the Instagram group called on someone to rescue her.
Less than 24 hours later, Hamm took the dog in, named her Peaches, gave her a pink harness and took her to the vet, where the pitbull got a clean bill of health.
Hamm said the whole thing was serendipitous, noting that customers at her studio had kept commenting that she needed to get a dog.
“I was actually just looking previously at foster dogs, and then, I had opened up Instagram and I saw her,” Hamm told NBC 29 about the moment she saw the pic of Peaches.
“She was the first post on there, and I was like, ‘There she is.’”
Hamm said she ordered a Lyft and zoomed to the subway station right away, where she found police officers standing by the dog.
She said the pitbull immediately responded to the name Peaches, and officers allowed her to take the dog home because of their instant connection.
“I was just like, ‘Can I have her?’ And they’re like, ‘Well, she’s your dog now because she obviously likes you,’” Hamm said.
Following the trip to the vet, the doctor determined Peaches was between six to nine months old. With no microchip or anyone coming forward to claim the dog, it remains a mystery who her original owner was.
Hamm said Peaches has settled well into her home and is excited to introduce her to her friends’ pets at their dog-friendly studio.
She added that she would have never thought she would meet her new best friend on the same social media account where she eyed free furniture.
“I found my coffee table. I found my couch that I was sitting on when I saw this dog. I found so much on this page, so, this is just my craziest stoop find yet,” Hamm said.