The dog photographed "desperately" chasing after a pickup truck believed to be driven by its owners is currently lost and actually "quasi-homeless," the Humane Society of Louisiana has discovered.
The dog, a German Sheppard mix named Butterbean, was originally reported as "abandoned" at the Highway 11 Shell gas station in Slidell, Louisiana.
One sighting of Butterbean was reported earlier today, but the Humane Society of Louisiana is still trying to locate her and take her in, Humane Society director Jeff Dorson told ABC News.
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"We found out that Pearson and another family in the area found Butterbean as a puppy in a box six to seven years ago, and they occasionally take her in and feed her," Dorson said. "She's a quasi-homeless dog who just roams the neighborhood that's grown attached to the two families."
Pearson did not respond to ABC News' calls requesting additional comment.
"From what we've gathered, Butterbean often follows one of the men who occasionally cares for her to the gas station, where he gets into a pickup truck and has her chase after him for over a mile back into the neighborhood," Dorson said.
Butterbean could not found in Pearson's home or the surrounding area when he visited, he said, but he's anxious to get her to a veterinarian and into a more loving environment.
"The first thing we want to do is rescue Butterbean and then go back and follow up with charges against these people who've been occasionally caring for her," Dorson said.