A rescued pit bull who was found carrying a mysterious photograph has found a new home.
Soldier, a 2-year-old pit bull, was wandering in a South Carolina neighborhood last month with a tattered black-and-white photo of a young man tucked into his collar. He stayed with Greenville County Animal Care Services for a month as the staff tried to locate the man in the photo, but to no avail.
“It didn’t get in there accidentally,” Susan Bufano, Greenville County Animal Care Services’ community relations coordinator, said of the photograph. “Somebody had to really work to get that photo in there.”
With no solid leads on the photo, the shelter began filtering through the dozens of adoption inquiries it had received for Soldier. Julie Hensley of Virginia, who used to rescue and train pit bulls, was finally selected to be his new owner.
When Hensley arrived at the shelter to meet Soldier, the staff knew they had chosen the right person for the dog.
“They instantly loved each other,” Bufano said.
As for the photograph Soldier was carrying the day he was found, it remains a mystery. Several inquiries were made at the shelter, but nothing solid ever panned out.
“Our focus was on Soldier, so the photo was secondary,” Bufano said. “We still have the photo and if anyone has any ideas about it, we would love to hear from them.”