A NEIGHBOURHOOD was sick and tired of a wild dog after days of it terrorising the locals and causing pure chaos.
But Catherine DeFazio was left stunned when she finally worked out the tragic reason why the lonely dog was running around the area without an owner.
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The California native followed the pooch one day to try and figure out why it was roaming around causing trouble and constantly barking and whimpering like he wanted someone's attention.
Residents in the Sacramento neighbourhood were first warned about the wild dog running around the streets and causing chaos in a number of online posts warning of an animal on the loose.
After chasing the dog down Catherine was led to a dark bush where it started to yelp before looking into her eyes.
Having a closer look inside the bush Catherine was shocked as she discovered what the dog was really doing around the town.
The dead body of the German shepherd's owner was laying there next to his belongings.
Catherine told KCRA 3: “I’m like, ‘No, don’t go to the street. Don’t and he went right there in the bushes about three feet from the walkway.”
“He just, like, looked me like that in my eyes. I looked over, and I’m like, ‘there’s no way there’s a dead body'… I walked here and there he was.”
As her mind raced with worry and concern, Catherine immediately called the cops and reported the body as it was taken in by the authorities.
Despite the man being taken off Catherine's hands and the dog no longer searching for his owner in the neighbourhood, the woman remained curious as to how the man had died.
The coroner’s office later told Catherine that the man had been dead for at least a week and she thought that he was potentially homeless and had the dog as a loving pet.
She said: “I started putting two and two together. I knew I'd never seen that dog before, and I realised it was his.
“When you’re out there lonely or you’re by yourself, an animal’s everything to you.”
But the story of the mystery man wasn't enough for Catherine as she started to focus on the loyal pooch and what would happen to it now.
She made it her mission to rescue the dog now it has no owner and try to find it an appropriate home.
Putting on her best detectives outfit Catherine whacked on some dark clothes and went out to hide in the bushes nearby where she found the body with the dog.
She went on to say: “I propped up with dark clothes on in the bushes and literally with the flashlights. And I’m like, I can do this. If anyone can do it, I could do it.”
In the end Catherine managed to recruit two other women into her search party and after two weeks of waiting around in bushes and searching for the dog it was finally found.
The canine was then sent to be with Nicole Hartman, who works with several dog rescue centres.
She described the dog as “healthy” and in “good shape”, but did notice it was notably anxious and scared of its new surroundings away from its owner.
“He’s sweet as can be. But he’s crying for his owner. He wants his owner. And that’s obviously not happening now,” she added.
Nicole admits the dog isn't ready right now to be adopted into a new family but doesn't think it'll take more than a few weeks to get it back to its normal four legged self.
She said: “Give me 30 days. He’s going to be a whole different dog.
“Right now, he’s sad. He’s depressed. He’s crying. He’s not eating. He’s not drinking. I think he finally peed. But it’s going to take him a good week to decompress.”
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Catherine DeFazio was very happy when she heard that the dog was getting better and is expected to find a new home soon.
She continued: “I felt like the dog did take me to (his owner). And all I could do is be respectful and preserve his honour, whether he was homeless, chose to be or not.”
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