A California woman managed to defeat an angry dog that had been running around her neighborhood for weeks – and the pooch made her a shocking discovery.
Catherine DeFazio had seen online alerts about a German Shepherd that had appeared loose in her Sacramento neighborhood.
One day, DeFazio finally spotted the dog right on her porch before it started running into the street.
“I say, 'No, don't go out on the street.' “Don’t do it,” she said. “And he went right there into the bushes, about three feet from the sidewalk,” she said.
Where the dog took DeFazio next was a heartbreaker. He showed her what looked like a corpse.
A California woman managed to defeat an angry dog that had been running around her neighborhood for weeks – and the pooch made her a shocking discovery
The dog is seen in a picture roaming the Sacramento area
“He made that scream, and he just saw me in my eyes like that, like that, like that. And I looked over and thought, there's no way there's a body,” she told KCRA.
There is currently a backpack, tarp and other debris at the site where the body was found.
“So I walked over here and there he was,” DeFazio continued. “When you’re lonely or alone outside, an animal means everything to you.”
DeFazio – who said she had seen the bodies of homeless people turning up in the neighborhood in recent years – immediately contacted police, who in turn called a medical examiner to the scene.
Her office was able to determine that the man had been dead for a full week before DeFazio found him.
“I started putting two and two together. “I knew I had never seen this dog before and I realized it was his,” she said.
The unidentified man's dog continued to roam the neighborhood for two weeks after she found his owner's body, and DeFazio was determined to track him down again.
“I was in the bushes wearing dark clothing and literally carrying flashlights. And I think I can do it. “If anyone can do it, I could do it,” she said.
Catherine DeFazio had seen online alerts about a German Shepherd that had turned up loose in her Sacramento neighborhood
One day, DeFazio finally spotted the dog right on her porch before it started running into the street
Where the dog led DeFazio next was heartbreaking: He showed her what looked like a corpse
DeFazio brought two other women to help her finally find the dog, including Nicole Hartman, who works with local dog rescues.
Hartman said the poor pooch was in a state of grief following the death of his owner.
“He is healthy. He is in good shape. He's as sweet as can be. But he cries for his owner. He wants his owner. And that’s obviously not happening now,” she said.
Hartman said the dog is not in the right condition to be adopted back yet, but will be in due course.
“Give me 30 days,” she said. “He’ll be a completely different dog.”
“He is sad at the moment. He is depressed. He cries. He does not eat. Dont drown. I think he finally peed. But he will need a good week to relax,” Hartman added.
DeFazio believes she did the dog and his late owner a favor by trying to find him a safe home.
There is currently a backpack, tarp and other debris at the site where the body was found
DeFazio brought in two other women to help her finally find the dog
“It felt like he was grateful that he was found, and I felt like the dog actually brought me to him,” she said.
“And all I can do is be respectful and uphold his honor, whether he was homeless, whether he wanted to be or not.”
has reached out to the Sacramento County Coroner's Office for more information.