The video lasted seconds. A car pulled behind Lorain Skate World, a dog was let out, and the car drove away. The dog ran after it.
He didn’t understand he had been abandoned. He only knew the person he trusted was leaving.
Four Days on the Streets of Lorain
That was May 29. For the next four days, Skates didn’t have a name yet, and wandered the neighborhood alone, crossing busy roads, confused and frightened.
A neighbor eventually gained his trust with food and got him safely contained. The Lorain County Dog Warden took custody and transferred him to Friendship APL in Elyria.
The Woman Who Left Him There
Surveillance footage from Lorain Skate World captured everything. Ciara Roman, 34, was charged with abandoning animals, an annual dog registration violation, and a rabies immunization violation.
At her June 9 hearing, Roman told the judge she had tried to surrender Skates to the APL but left when she found out she needed an appointment.
As Fox 8 reported on Skates’ journey through training and adoption eligibility, Roman said he had chewed up her car door and cost the family their apartment security deposit. On July 7, she was ordered to pay a $300 fine.
Abandonment rarely ends well without someone stepping in fast. When a puppy was found in a crate on an Ohio highway, the outcome depended entirely on one officer stopping to look.
What Friendship APL Did Instead of Just Waiting
Friendship APL enrolled Skates in their prison training program at Grafton Correctional Institution, a longstanding partnership that typically involves 24 prisoners and 12 dogs working together.
Trainer Justin Brownfield described Skates as “so, so loving” and “very smart.” He learned sit, down, stay, heel, and paw. He is housebroken, loves fetch, plays well with other dogs, and the APL described him as having “quite the personality to share.”
On August 10, Skates was adopted.
Have you ever struggled with a dog’s behavior to the point of feeling overwhelmed? What did you do? Tell me in the comments.
Why the Gap Between Surrender and Abandonment Matters
Roman said she tried to do the right thing first. She went to surrender him and left when it required an appointment. That gap is where animals get abandoned.
According to the ASPCA’s position on keeping pets and people together, too often owners who have strong bonds with their pets would choose to keep them if only given short-term help like a referral, a waiver, or simply a different appointment time.
Skates crossed busy roads for four days before anyone caught him. A phone call to reschedule that appointment would have changed everything.
Why This Matters
The prison program gave Skates structure, confidence, and skills. The right family found him shortly after he graduated.
Skates isn’t the first dog whose story went viral before the right family found him. Blue, a Texas shelter dog returned twice, found his family only after someone refused to stop posting about him.
Dogs that get the right structure find the right families. Loretta, a Phoenix dog rescued from neglect, spent nearly a year in a shelter before she was ready — and so was her future family.
His story is also a reminder that so many shelter dogs are going through the same thing without a viral video to bring attention to them.
Key Takeaways
- Skates was dumped behind Lorain Skate World on May 29, 2026, and roamed alone for four days.
- Ciara Roman was charged and pleaded no contest; she was fined $300 on July 7.
- Friendship APL enrolled him in a prison training program at Grafton Correctional Institution.
- He graduated knowing sit, down, stay, heel, and paw, and was fully housebroken.
- Skates was adopted on August 10, shortly after becoming eligible.
He Ran After the Car
He didn’t know he was being abandoned. Now he has a family that chose him on purpose.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. Details are based on public reports and may change.