The other day, rescuers in Carleton, Michigan, received multiple calls about a large dog in a desperate situation. The Good Samaritans all reported seeing the same pup running through their neighborhood with a plastic tub on his head, and they worried that he couldn’t slide it off on his own.

“He couldn’t drink, he couldn’t eat and he was oxygen-deprived because it was so tight on his head,” Tom Walsh, founder of The Last Stop Animal Rescue and Sanctuary (TLSARS), told The Dodo. “They spent three days out there day and night tracking him and finding his locations.”

TLSARS partners with local dog rescuer Kim Broman Canales, who placed trail cameras in the neighborhood to keep tabs on the roaming dog.

Hours turned into days, and the rescuers feared that time was running out for the pup — but he refused to stop walking. Even when they successfully pinpointed his whereabouts, they couldn’t trap him.

“There was a trap there for him, but with that jug on his head, he couldn’t pick up the scent,” Walsh said. “So he kept walking right past the food because he couldn’t smell it.”

Canales added scent boosters, like liquid smoke, to the food in the trap, but the poor dog couldn’t pick up on any of it.

So, he kept running. As expected, the pup’s condition started to worsen.

The dog was quickly losing energy, but that wasn’t his rescuers’ only concern.

“There’re coyotes in that area, and he had no way of defending himself,” Walsh said. “The weaker he got, the more he turned into bait.”

Canales’ efforts came to a head on the third day, when she suddenly found herself face-to-face with the dog.

“She happened to come around the garage one way, and he came around the other way,” Walsh said.

With her snappy snare in hand, Canales swiftly placed the loop over the dog’s head and secured it around his neck. The big guy was finally safe.

Canales drove the dog straight to TLSARS. The sweet boy was no longer wandering around on the streets, but his head was still stuck inside an empty cheese puffs tub.

“It was so tight we couldn’t pull it off his head,” Walsh said. “We literally had to cut it off of his head.”

Moments later, the dog, whom Walsh aptly named Cheeto, was finally free. The removal of the plastic jug revealed the cutest puppy-like face.

And the affectionate boy couldn’t be more grateful.

Walsh and his wife, Sue, are now taking care of Cheeto full-time. They believe he had a family at one point and would love to see them back together. Sadly, Cheeto didn’t have a collar or a microchip when found, so they’re not sure how possible that will be.

In the meantime, the Walshes are making sure that Cheeto gets the care he needs. He’s still skinny from spending so much time as a stray, but, luckily, he loves to eat. And he even knows some food etiquette.

“He’s so well-mannered,” Walsh said. “He’s a big boy, but he’s a very gentle dog.”

So far, Cheeto’s made countless animal friends at TLSARS. From cats to mini horses, Cheeto just falls instantly in love with everyone.

And, thankfully, he’s getting just as much love in return.

“He was a very lucky dog,” Walsh said. “And now, he’s doing great.”