CHANDLER, AZ -- The story of pets being left behind when homeowners have to leave is all too common these days.

So when a family in one Chandler neighborhood left their dog "Rocky" behind, neighbors stepped in to help Rocky out.

"The dog is innocent, the dog just is here and he needs help," said Richard Vedas, who lives across the street.

Vedas made sure that Rocky had food and water, and he searched for a no-kill shelter that could take the dog.

It turns out that if you call about a dog, you have to actually own the dog for a shelter to be able to come and take the animal.

Eight-year-old Monse de la Cruz, who lives in the neighborhood, also helped take care of Rocky.

Every day after school she would stop in to see him.

"I'll play with him and then at 6 o'clock I'll feed him," said Monse.

It took almost five months before Vedas was able to find The Lost Our Home Pet Foundation.

Lost Our Home specializes in rescuing animals who have been abandoned.

"Just a great feeling, you know, to know someone else cares," said Vedas.

Now Lost Our Home will take care of Rocky's veterinary needs and set him up with a foster family until they can find someone to adopt him and give him a forever home.

"He's a very lucky dog," said Tammy Wilson Teeter, owner of Wiggles and Wags K-9 Training. "If the neighbors hadn't been taking care of him, he would not be here today."

Teeter, who is also on the executive board for Lost Our Home, also provides evaluations of rescued dogs to determine what home would be best suited for the animal, and will even offer free training for any of the animals that are rescued by Lost Our Home.

"(Rocky's) an old dog, we just need to teach him some new tricks," said Teeter.

Now that Rocky has been rescued, the neighborhood is relieved, and thankful for what Lost Our Home does.

"I'm happy for Rocky now," said Monse.

Source: abc15.com

See Rocky's rescue here: