The black Lab mix refused to move from the last place he’d seen his owners. Even though it was dangerous on the train tracks, he lay down right where they left him and waited. Even though he was hungry, he didn’t go looking for food — in case his family came back for him.

“They always wait when they’re dumped because they’re so loyal and they think that the person is coming back,” Hall told The Dodo. “I was so scared that he was going to get hit by a train … The gal who originally noticed him said it was like he would barely move until the train was almost there.”

When Hall arrived at the train tracks, she found the dog exactly where the Good Samaritan said he’d be. “At first, he got up and started to run, but I threw chicken his way and it made him stop,” Hall said. “He was very scared and hesitant.”

Hall set up a trap with chicken and hot dogs inside and went to hide so she wouldn’t scare the dog. She was worried it would take a while for him to risk going after the food.

“Sometimes, when I’m trapping a dog, it feels like I’m watching paint dry because it can take a long time,” Hall said. “I’m known to sleep in my car to rescue a dog because I don’t give up.”

However, the abandoned dog was so hungry that when she returned a few minutes later, he was securely in the trap. Hall named the dog Soldier, and immediately drove him to her vet to have him examined.

Soldier has been decompressing at Camino Pet Hospital while Hall finds him a loving foster home. There, the sweet pup is getting medicated baths and plenty of food, and has even started wagging his tail while being pet by the vet techs.

Thanks to Hall, the loyal dog will find a new family who’ll cherish him as a faithful companion and give him the life he deserves. It may take some time, but Soldier is happy to wait.