Tired Cop Falls Asleep at Animal Shelter After Refusing To Leave Rescued Puppy's Side

It was a case of letting a sleeping dog lie with the long arm of the law.

A Florida policeman found an adorable puppy left on its own during his patrol of a Lakeland neighborhood.

Officer Kareem Garibaldi tried in vain for three days to find the pit-bull-boxer mix’s owner, even though he worked 12-hour shifts and often went home exhausted.

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On the third day, the dedicated peace officer took the pup to the Florida SPCA to have it checked out.  As they sat in the waiting room, both dozed off.

“I walked in, and that’s when I saw him and the puppy,” said the shelter’s safety net manager, Connie Johnson, according to The Dodo website.

“He was exhausted, the puppy was exhausted, and they were sleeping. It was one of those moments that just grab your heart.  He was so determined to get her help,” Johnson said.

“He actually woke up at one point just to see if she [was] OK, and then he went back to sleep,” she added.

Garibaldi waited three hours while the dog was examined. She had a few mites, but was otherwise healthy.

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Back to the station went Garibaldi and his tiny cargo, where a dispatcher saw the puppy and became besotted.

Along with a new home, the dog got a new name:  Hope.

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