Abandoned dog left with note brings Burbank community together

BURBANK, CA (FOX 11) - Who rescued who? A dog left abandoned with a note on its collar is about to get a new leash on life!

Samantha Harmon heard a small poodle mix barking outside her Burbank home last week.

"Honestly, I felt just sad, because I couldn't imagine someone doing that to a dog," said Harmon.

Tucked inside his harness...was this note:

"Hi I'm Max, I'm 18 months old, I'm alone. Take me," said Harmon.

As a dog-owner already, Harmon couldn't take him.

But she knew someone else would

"Just the sweetest dog, just so sweet, and kind of wanted to play and everything," said Harmon.

Samantha took Max to the Burbank Animal Shelter.

As word of his story spread, community members came to the rescue hoping to adopt him.

"I came here and I connected with him, I was visiting him every day," said Maya Estuani.

Wednesday morning, Estuani won the shelter's raffle to take Max.

But her dogs didn't get along with him.

And something else didn't feel right.

"I'm blessed to have won the raffle, but I also feel like I can't feel like I can't feel selfish to other people who also wanted him," said Estuani.

She wanted to transfer her ticket to another raffle participant, Cheryl Schilling.

Schilling badly wanted Max.

The shelter couldn't transfer the ticket, so they held the raffle again.

By sheer luck, Schilling won.

Like Max, Schilling also lost a member of her family recently.

"It's the holidays. We're really wanting a doggie and he needs a home. We don't know who rescued who," said Schilling.

Finding each other with the help of fate.

"It was meant to be....destiny," said Schilling.