A good Samaritan found a three-month-old puppy named Sage who was eating garbage in a cemetery and had a metal chain embedded on her neck. When she stopped, Sage ran up to her. She put the puppy in the car and brought her to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay or HSTB, a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding homes for stray dogs.
Sage was very friendly. Even though she was apparently in pain, she still wagged her tail while the vet examined her. They immediately brought her to surgery to remove the metal chain on her neck.
The poor puppy also had skin issues and overgrown nails. After the surgery, one of the staff members of HSTB brought her home. Sage preferred to sleep on her foster mom’s neck as though showing that she was very grateful to be rescued. She stayed in foster care for several weeks to heal.
Sage was put up for adoption when her health was fully restored. Many dog-loving families were interested in adopting her. Her story caught the attention of Dave Bautista, an American actor and a former professional wrestler.
Bautista was so indignant at Sage’s flight. It made him sick to think that someone could do such horrible things to an innocent puppy. He offered a reward of 5,000 dollars to anyone who could find the person who had maltreated her. HSTB added 1,500 dollars to the reward, then Alvarez Injury Law, a personal injury attorney, also put in 5,000 dollars.
Unfortunately, no one could find out who the former owners were. In the meantime, Sage could look forward to brighter days ahead because Bautista had formally adopted her. He renamed her Penny Bautista. As soon as they arrived home, Dave took a video of Penny, who had boundless energy, and posted it on social media.
Penny gained two fur siblings, Ollie and Maggie, who were also adopted. She could look forward to a life full of comfort and love from her new family.
Screenshot from Humane Society of Tampa Bay via Instagram
