Some genuinely want to help the little ones who can’t help themselves. Officer Kareem Garibaldi of the Lakeland Police Department in Florida is one of those wonderful people.
Officer Garibaldi worked an early morning shift one Saturday in May, 2016. As he drove his patrol car, he nearly ran into a small Pit/Boxer mix puppy. The 8 to 10 week old pup had no identification tags or collar and was just running around loose.
With no number to contact or address to return to, Officer Garibaldi took the search for the puppy’s family into his own hands. He traveled the neighborhood and posted pictures on social media sites the next day, hoping someone would recognize her. No luck.
Unable to locate any family members, he brought the pup to the LPD for food and warmth until the end of his shift. No way would he leave her to fend for herself.
At the end of his third consecutive day working 12 hour shifts, Officer Garibaldi knew he had more still to do for this pup. On his own time off the clock, he brought the dog to the SPCA Florida Medical Center for care and inspection.
Officer Garibaldi sat in the waiting room from 8:45am to 12:00 p.m. while the vet checked the puppy out. The shelter’s safety net manager, Connie Johnson, happened upon the two that morning and took a now viral photograph.
I could not resist taking this picture when I walked into the clinic at SPCA Florida this morning. Officer Kareen totally went out of his way after working all night to make sure this puppy was safe and sound. Thank you so much for all you do!! You are such an inspiration.
The poor man clearly needed sleep after a long weekend, but he had different priorities. The Lakeland Police Department shared the touching story on Facebook where it received tons of rightful attention.
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