Puppy Locked in Crate on Porch of Abandoned House Shares Special Bond with Man Who Saved Her

When Austin Meyrick agreed to help a buddy and his girlfriend move into a new house in Lynchburg, Virginia, he was expecting a few days of hard work and hanging out with friends.

But, what he got was something entirely different.

Despite the general challenges of moving, he and his friends were more concerned with the house next door.

“The house next door was abandoned and we quickly noticed that there was a little black dog locked in a crate out on the front porch,” Austin said.

That was the first moment he laid eyes on the puppy that would change his life forever.

No Time to Lose

Austin and his friends were very concerned about the three-month-old abandoned puppy next door, but they weren’t the only ones.

“We later found out that the local neighborhood kids had been the ones putting out food for her,” he said. “All she had were the neighborhood kids on the streets.”

They had no idea how long she’d been stuck outside in that tiny crate. The thought of it broke their hearts.

When they called Animal Control, the officers said it would be at least another 24 hours before they could help.

But for Austin and his friends, even waiting one more minute was too long.

There was no time to lose.

Free at Last

They freed the puppy from the crate and immediately whisked her inside to give her a bath.

“She hadn’t had anywhere to go to the bathroom other than the crate, so she was pretty dirty,” Austin recalled.

Once she was squeaky clean, they gave the puppy some much needed TLC.

While getting to know her, they found her the perfect name.

“When we pulled her out of the crate, one of our friends was wearing a Macho Man Randy Savage t-shirt. So it became pretty obvious to me that she should become Macho Madame Randi Savage. And thus Randi was born,” Austin said.

Soon after this, they managed to get in contact with Angels of Assisi, a local nonprofit animal welfare organization.

“They took care of everything” like vaccines and health check-ups, Austin said. “It was super awesome.”

From there, Austin began fostering Randi through the organization’s foster program.

“It All Clicked”

Austin brought Randi back to his home in Lynchburg, where she met Austin’s roommate, Bacco, and his dog, Mayonnaise.

From the minute the puppy jumped through the front door, she and Mayonnaise were best friends.

It wasn’t long before Austin began to realize maybe this foster situation might fail.

At first, he couldn’t bear the thought of Mayonnaise and Randi being separated. They adored each other.

Then Austin realized it wasn’t just Mayonnaise he was worried about– he was worried about himself too.

The thought of Randi going to a home other than his own was heartbreaking.

Between saving her life and watching her grow into a healthy happy puppy, Austin and Randi shared a special bond.

“It was kind of at that point we were like, ‘Well, alright, if it’s not going to be a problem with Mayonnaise, it’s not a problem with me.’ Plus I was obviously starting to grow pretty fond of little Randi here,” Austin said. “It all clicked.”

After all they had been through together, it didn’t seem fair to rehome Randi. She trusted him and him and never wanted to leave his side.

The decision had been clear all along– Randi wasn’t going anywhere! She would be adopted by Austin.

A Change of Plans

After almost two months of the four housemates bonding, Austin was offered a job in a different state that he just couldn’t refuse.

He was worried about moving, but knew it would allow him to give Randi an even better life.

One problem: would she be alright without her best friend Mayonnaise?

As fortune would have it, the problem solved itself.

After only a few weeks after the move, Mayonnaise and his owner moved in with Austin and Randi.

Randi and Mayonnaise were reunited!

Room to Grow

Though Austin was initially worried that Randi would experience long term trauma from her rough past, she showed no signs of it.

She even adjusted to moving towns without skipping a beat!

“She’s really spunky and loves to play. She’s definitely got some quirks,” Austin said. “She doesn’t really watch the toys when I throw them, she listens for where they fall, which I think is pretty interesting.”