When an employee at the Orangeburg Shelter in South Carolina forgot to do something and had to go back to the shelter in the middle of the night, they figured they’d be in and out. As they were heading inside, they noticed a cardboard box sitting on a nearby bench that hadn’t been there before.

The box said “small” and was closed, so the employee couldn’t see inside it — but they quickly realized they could hear someone crying for help inside.

Inside the box was someone very small indeed. The puppy, later named Gibbs, was taken inside and settled in for the night. If the employee hadn’t had to go back to the shelter, the 4-pound puppy would have been alone until the morning and might not have made it.

The next day, the shelter posted about Gibbs on Facebook and caught the attention of Eunoia Rescue, who immediately offered to take the puppy into their care. When he first arrived, they were taken aback by how small and adorable he was and couldn’t believe someone would abandon him that way.

“He was full of worms when we found him,” Euonia Rescue told The Dodo. “He also was covered in fleas, dirt and what looked like some tar. Other than that, he ended up being a healthy puppy once we cleaned him up.”

Gibbs is now in a foster home and absolutely thriving. He’s come a long way from being found abandoned in a box and is loving every minute of his new life.

“He LOVES other dogs and acts like he weighs 50 pounds instead of just a measly 4 pounds and will chase all his foster siblings around,” Eunoia Rescue said. “He’s happy, healthy and just waiting to be big enough to be neutered before he’s adopted.”