I was driving down County Road 12 on a chaotic morning when something by the roadside caught my attention—a small cluster of four boxer puppies, muddy and visibly shivering, huddled together near a ditch. I was already running late for an important meeting and didn’t exactly have time for detours, but I just couldn’t drive past without stopping.

There was no sign of a mother dog or any nearby homes—just the puppies and a half-collapsed cardboard box. Without hesitating, I pulled over, grabbed an old hoodie from the back seat, and carefully wrapped them up before heading home. Once there, I gave them a quick rinse and gently dried them off with some towels.

I planned to scan them for microchips and post their photos in a local lost pet group. That’s when I noticed one of the puppies had a faded yellow collar. Tucked beneath it was a small metal tag with a message that gave me chills: “Not Yours.”

Later that day, my friend Tate, a vet tech, came by to help. The moment he saw the tag, his face went pale. “I’ve seen this kind of thing before,” he said, clearly disturbed, though he wouldn’t elaborate. “These might not be your average strays,” he warned.

We scanned all four. Only the puppy with the collar had a microchip—registered years ago to a veterinary clinic a few counties over. No recent updates. No working contact info.