When Eddie Olivarez was on break at work one day, he never could have expected what he would find. He was taking a momentary breather from his shift at a California Albertson’s and spied a shoe box close by. There were no shoes in it but there was a very small dog. The puppy weighed all of 1 pound and was clearly in rough shape. It is a mystery how the animal survived inside of a shoe box.

As you can imagine, it was a very hot day in California when the shoe box was found. The dog had no access to food or water and the resilience that was displayed is remarkable. The pup’s eye was injured and he also had a head wound. Eddie knew that he could not help the cat on his own and so he called the good people at Hand In Paw to assist him.

Piper Wood is the organization’s founder and she was more than happy to take Eddie’s call. The puppy was too young to be out in the world on his own and he needed to be with someone who could actually take care of him. No one seems to know how this dog ended up at the supermarket, either. It is believed that he was abandoned by a backyard breeder once they became aware of his injuries.

Dogs like this one are given away at a young age because the breeders are unable to profit off of them. They should have taken the dog to the animal hospital or a local shelter but they elected to leave the poor pooch inside of a steaming hot shoe box. Luckily, he was taken into surgery so that his injured eye could be treated before it was too late.

The dog has now been named Albert. He pulled through the surgery with flying colors and is going to be just fine. Eddie took him home after the procedure was complete and he spent a few days bonding with Albert. Berni is a friend of Piper’s and she is taking over babysitting duties until Albert is finally ready to be placed in a forever home of his own.

He remains quiet because he is regaining his strength. However, Piper says that he is a kind dog who loves nothing more than eating and playing with his favorite toys. He is lucky to have been found when he was and we hope that he is able to find the forever home that he deserves soon!