A puppy who was found abandoned under a bench on a hot day in Texas is now living his best life in New York City after being rescued by a touring pop-star and his partner.
Ronan Counihan (@plzronan), 30, shared that the story began when his partner, Bentley Robles, was getting a coffee while on tour in Dallas. A man approached Robles, saying he had found a puppy under a bench but couldn’t keep him.
“He FaceTimed me and was just like, ‘Don’t be mad. There’s this dog.’ I immediately saw the dog; fell in love. But I was just, like, my main concern was, like, this dog needs to be seen to a vet. He needs food. We need to get him help as soon as possible before we are concerned about keeping him,” Counihan told Newsweek.
The vet gave the puppy “the all-clear—as much as the all-clear as you can give a 3-week-old puppy.” The vet confirmed the animal was healthy but very vulnerable and should still be with his mother.
The couple named the pup Louie, and Robles made the executive decision to drive him back to New York City. Counihan said Robles rented a car and drove 35 hours over four to five days, sneaking Louie into motels along the way and documenting the entire journey.
Louie, who just turned 7 weeks old, is still too young to be fully vaccinated and is living in a careful “bubble” for now. Counihan described him as a “crazy” but incredibly social pup who loves people and is thriving, despite his rough start. When the couple first brought him home, he weighed less than a pound and could barely walk or make noise. Seeing him grow stronger over the past few weeks has been emotional for the couple.
“It really gives me an appreciation of parents because I’m, like, ‘Oh my God, this is so scary.’ And this is crazy,” Counihan said, reflecting on having to bottle-feed Louie every few hours. He added that, instead of sending gifts, they encourage those following Louie’s story to donate to a local animal shelter.
Counihan has since shared Louie’s journey on TikTok, where the tiny chocolate-colored pup has become a viral sensation. One video, which has racked up over 126,000 likes and 608,000 views, features Counihan reflecting on how far Louie has come.
He joked that “whoever left this guy under a bench in Texas, honestly, thank you so much from me, but also from him, because this guy is living his dream life.” Louie now enjoys life in New York City surrounded by toys from friends and family, is bottle-fed every five hours. Counihan added that Louie “really wants to get into pup lancing … and represent brands, be a dog model. So if there’s any brands or corporations that want to get working with this guy. Rags to riches, baby.”
TikTok users have been obsessed with the rescue story. “I gotta start checking under benches,” one commenter wrote. “So adorable and loved,” added Iris. Another joked, “Maybe that puppy looked at his first person, thought ‘I can do better’ & took a walk.”
Others couldn’t help but gush about Louie’s happy ending. “Not to be dramatic but I’d die for him,” wrote DeAnna, while Lori Kay summed it up: “You won the puppy lottery.”
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