Despite Working Three 12-Hour Shifts, Police Officer Waits by Puppy Until He Knows She’s Safe

Despite having worked three 12-hour shifts back to back, a Florida police officer watches over a puppy he rescued to ensure she is safe.

Posted on Facebook, a picture of City of Lakeland Officer Kareem Garibaldi shows the man sitting next to the puppy, named Hope, as the dog waits to get checked into the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) for a health check.

The photo shows Garibaldi closing his eyes, as he has just got done working a night shift. Hope sits close to him on the bench, curled up.

The officer discovered the stray dog under his patrol car early Saturday morning, after almost running over her, the Facebook post states.

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He searched the neighborhood to find the dog’s rightful owner but to no avail. So, he brought her to the police department where he fed and provided a place for the dog to sleep and be secure.

After his shift, the pup went home with Garibaldi. The officer posted pictures of the pup on his account, before returning to the neighborhood in hopes of finding her owner. When he again turned up empty handed, he took Hope to the SPCA on his own time. He waited three hours with her, after working three 12-hour shifts.

“It’s the kind-hearted officers like this that makes the Lakeland Police Department truly unique,” the City of Lakeland’s Facebook post read. “Having worked a long weekend, Officer Garibaldi still found the energy at the end of his shift to help man’s best friend.”

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Soon after Hope found her forever home with a dispatcher.