Officials in a southern Chicago suburb have solved the mystery behind who left a "sweet doggy" at a Burger King with a note paperclipped to its collar.
Monee police originally put out a post on Facebook Monday seeking help after they said a citizen found the dog, named King, with a note in its collar.
"I'm King. I'm a good boy love to hug & kiss birthday July 22 2018," the note read.
The department said the note "broke our hearts" and they sought information on the owner or anyone who might want to adopt the animal.
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"He really does love to hug and kiss you too!!!" the post read.
The South Suburban Humane Society said the dog was eventually brought to its shelter after the owner was not immediately found.
But in a turn of events, the shelter said the owner later arrived to share their story.
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"[On Tuesday], his pet parent came to the shelter to tell us what had happened. After suffering a major medical event, she had moved in with family and has been trying to get back on her feet," the shelter posted on Facebook. "Her family member abandoned King without her knowledge and she is devastated. She brought all of his food, toys, treats, and we had a tearful conversation together."
In a separate update, the Monee Police Department also revealed that the dog's owner came forward and "without divulging too much, they happened upon hard times and couldn't keep him."
"They knew he would be well taken care of at our PD so they attached the note and had someone bring him into the station. He was never placed in danger," the update read.
The department then revealed that, while "some of you may have differing opinions on this," they planned to "#choosekindness."
"Based on these circumstances it was decided between us and [the South Suburban Human Society] that we should try to keep King with his owner because the love between them was very evident!!!" the post read. "SSHS has agreed to step in and give the owner a timeline to change their living situation and then they will be reunited with King. If that’s unable to happen then King will placed for adoption and we will notify everyone at that time. Words cannot describe how thankful we are to everyone that shared Kings story. Here at Monee PD we strive to help EVERY living being!"
The humane society said King's owner is looking to find a new place to live and noted that King was "extremely well taken care of."
In the meantime, the dog will be fostered by a staff member at the humane society for one month "so we can hopefully make a reunion happen," the group said.
Many commenters were quick to offer their support for the owner and the dog, but the humane society also gave an update on those efforts.
"Every single day, every one of us has a choice to choose empathy and kindness," the post read. "SSHS is grounded in both and we choose kindness whenever possible (it's always possible). We asked her if she's willing to accept help from the public and she is a very proud person who is thinking about that," the post read. "When we know, we will certainly let you know! Thank you to each one of you helping us do this work and we wouldn't be able to offer this support to King and her without our communities."
