The internet has applauded a man for fostering a dog who appeared to have been abandoned near a local play park, with some suggesting that he was possibly waiting for his previous owners to come back.

Over the course of a week, Eric Rodriguez, 44, spotted the large black dog wandering around Beverly Hills Park in Houston, Texas. He told Newsweek that he “thought it belonged to someone” because the dog was wearing a red harness.

Unfortunately, as the days went on, nobody came back for the dog, and he continued waiting by the play park. Rodriguez eventually went outside to help the poor pup by giving him something to eat and drink.

“By the third time I saw him, I noticed that no one else was in the park and he was just alone, sleeping. I brought the dog food and water, and I have a chip scanner to see if he was chipped, but he was not,” Rodriguez said.

He had also seen several other people post about the abandoned dog on Facebook groups, noting that they’d repeatedly seen him “roaming around the neighborhood.”

Rodriguez also shared a video of the dog on his own TikTok account (@ericdogdad) to increase the attention and see if this dog had an owner. He often posts videos of animal rescues or fosters, and the clip went viral with over 196,900 views and more than 13,900 likes at the time of writing.

He couldn’t resist helping the poor dog, so he took him in as a temporary foster. While he doesn’t know much about the dog’s breed, age, or what he’s gone through, Rodriguez just wanted to see him off the streets and in a loving home.

He’s since named the dog Zeus and discovered that he weighs around 75 pounds.

“After I posted my video online, people reached out to me and wanted to help. They asked me if I could go find the dog again and foster it until we can get him at home, and I agreed. So, I went looking for him until I found him,” Rodriguez continued.

In the few weeks since being fostered, Zeus is doing really well in Rodriguez’s home. He loves playing with his new toys and even curling up on the sofa beside Rodriguez too.

He’s still searching for a forever home, but he’s much happier now than when he was wandering around the streets.

Since Zeus’ story went viral online, many TikTok users have praised Rodriguez for saving him and giving him a second chance at life. This has led to over 890 comments on the TikTok video already.

“So many people want to help, and they’ve thanked me for taking him in,” he told Newsweek.

Among the comments online, one TikTok user wrote: “Looks like someone dumped him. Take him home and make him yours.”

Another person wrote: “He is waiting for who dumped him to come back.”

While another comment reads: “wow and [people] just left him there for a week…how sad this world is.”

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