Guy Hears Barks Coming From His Car — And Realizes It's A Scared Puppy

"It's OK. [You don’t] have to be scared anymore. We’re here to help.’”

When Travis Meeks let his dog out for a walk the other night, he heard terrified barks coming from under his parked car.

At first, Meeks thought a coyote must be to blame for the noise: “We have a ton of coyotes here and they’re not afraid to come into your yard and pass your house,” Meeks told The Dodo.

But when he grabbed a flashlight and crept closer, he realized that the bark actually belonged to a small black Lab — shivering and alone.

Dog found under guy's car
Travis Meeks

Meeks assumed that the puppy was a runaway — a rare occurrence in such a rural area. “You could tell he was frightened and had no idea what was going on,” Meeks said. “He wouldn't come to my mom, but I was able to gain his trust enough for him to come out from under the car. I snapped a few photos of him so I could post them online.”

But when Meeks noticed how skinny the pup was, he realized that the dog probably didn't wind up on his doorstep by chance. “My thoughts went from a lost dog to a dumped dog,” he said.

Scared dog hiding under car
Travis Meeks

Meeks stayed outside for two hours, trying to coax the puppy into the nearby barn or garage, but the dog refused to move. With so many coyotes around, Meeks worried that the pup might not make it through the night.

When another hour passed and the puppy still wouldn’t budge, he put out some food and water and stayed up watching the dog from the window to make sure he was safe.

Travis Meeks

The next morning, before leaving for work, Meeks finally found a way to lure the dog into his heated garage. “I whistled and he came right out and up to me,” Meeks said. “[It] was a big moment because I knew he would be safe until I found his owners — if they existed.”

When Meeks returned home that night, he sat with the dog and tried to coax him to eat. But he didn’t win the dog’s trust until he finally said the magic words: “I lay down on one of the sleeping bags and said, ‘Come here, boy.’ He ran over to me and laid next to me and went to sleep for a couple of hours,” Meeks said. “We both woke up and I fed him again and sat there petting him and telling him, ‘It's OK. [You don’t] have to be scared anymore. We’re here to help.’”

Dumped dog snuggles new dad
Travis Meeks

Meeks brought the dog to the vet, where a scan for a microchip came back negative. With no way to trace the dog’s owners, Meeks knew what he had to do: adopt him. 

Now the little Lab is named Buckley (Buck for short) and has a loving family of his very own. Buck clearly found the right car that night, and will never be without a home again.

Travis Meeks

“There’s no way we’re taking him to a shelter after all he’s been through,” Meeks said. “I refuse to let him be more scared and worried about what's happening to him. He will become a part of our family."

"It’s like God sent this poor pup to our door," he added.