You can find troves of abandoned treasures on the stoops outside New York City buildings.
Heather Hamm has made some excellent finds while out and about in the city, including a retro coffee table and a very cool antique desk lamp that now grace her apartment. But one of her most recent finds, in her words, “takes the cake.”
“I would say that I have pretty good luck, you know, ‘stooping’ in New York,” the 20-something Manhattanite said in a TikTok video while showing off other people’s discarded objects that she’s incorporated into her decor. Then she pans the camera down to show a small, pale pit bull mix curled up next to her on the sofa. “I may have just found my craziest stoop find yet. This one takes the cake,” she said.
Right before making this video, Heather was at home scrolling through regional animal shelter sites looking for dog foster opportunities. As she browsed, a new post popped up on an Instagram page that features “stoop” items that are up for grabs in and around the city. The post included a photo of a sad-looking dog tied to a railing in the subway station. She’d been abandoned and desperately needed help.
“Emergency!” the caption blared urgently. “Needs a rescue! Someone just tied this dog to a pole at a subway stop!!! Fulton street subway station where the 4/5 runs! In FiDi! Someone left a scared dog tied up !!!”
Heather’s heart leaped in her chest. She felt positive that this post was a sign that this was the dog she was meant to foster. She held off on rushing to the station to rescue the dog, but after 30 minutes went by with no comments or updates, she knew it was up to her.
“On the ride over, everything that could go wrong really sunk in,” Heather recalled. “Although I was confident I wanted to rescue her, I was slightly nervous for what I could be walking into.”
Thankfully, the dog was friendly and very happy to see her when Heather approached her. Her anxiety was instantly eased as the dog showered her with grateful kisses. Heather spoke with the police who had arrived, and they agreed to let her take the dog home to foster through a local shelter. She’d gotten her wish to foster a dog, but as with many things in life, it was not the way she thought it would happen!
Heather named her new bestie Peaches, and the dog settled right into her temporary home beautifully. She’s already got a new family all lined up!
Heather has zero regrets about rushing to the train station to rescue Peaches, and she’s excited to see the dog go to a good forever home. No matter what else she finds on a stoop, there’s no way it could ever top this “stoop find!”
Share this story to thank Heather for helping an animal in need.
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