Joel Carpenter couldn't resist adopting Sadie, and got a little help from INSIDE EDITION to return home.
A man who ran out of money when he decided to travel 1,500 miles to adopt a dog has finally made it back home.
Sadie, a collie-husky mix, was so adorable that Joel Carpenter couldn’t resist spending his last dime on her.
The 23-year-old fell for Sadie when he saw her on Petfinder.com, an adoption site for homeless animals. "I was just - love at first sight, she was so beautiful," he said.
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He bought a $300, one-way airline ticket from his home in Portland, Maine, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Sadie was living in a shelter.
The only problem: he had no money for a return ticket.
"I just had faith it was gonna work out,” he told INSIDE EDITION. He also launched a GoFund Me page to help with the bills.
But the adoption left him broke. He and Sadie were faced with a 1,500-mile journey back to Portland.
Part of the way they walked. They also did ride shares via Craigslist. They found overnight accommodations through Couchsurfing.com.
“We'd only go a few hours a day, so it hasn't been too hard on her,” he said.
IE producer Lara Yunaska caught up with Sadie and Carpenter in Detroit. They were a week into their journey, with 800 miles to go.
We tried to help a little - treating Sadie to a carrier. Sadie also went for her shots.
Carpenter called his mom to let her know he was still far from home. “I'm in Detroit right now,” he told her.
That's when IE stepped up to the plate and bought a plane ticket for the two.
“Thank you so much,” said Carpenter.
It was the last leg in an exhausting journey home. “It's been a long week,” he said.
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