Family on Road Trip Rescues Puppy Abandoned in Arizona Desert 26 Miles from Nearest Town

On a spontaneous road trip through the Arizona desert, a family found their way to a dog in need.

According to KPNX-TV, the Phoenix NBC affiliate, Kristina Munford and her family discovered a malnourished puppy abandoned in the desert — 26 miles from the nearest town — during a photo pit stop near Elephant Feet Rocks.

The group — Kristina Munford, her two siblings, and her father — first spotted the pup hiding in the bushes.

"His face had a gash … kind of in the middle, he wasn't really moving his back legs, we thought he was injured, but it turns out he was just exhausted," Munford told the outlet. "I look at my dad and I go, 'we can't leave him out here, we [have to] take him with us.' "

The family brought the dog on board and started driving towards Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. Along the way, the canine's rescuers decided to name him Canyon after their destination.

After visiting the Grand Canyon, Canyon the canine continued to travel with his new friends to La Jolla, California, where he resides now. The puppy is currently staying with some of Munford's family, who started a Facebook page for the pup to document his recovery and help him find a forever home.

Munford and her family continued on their road trip after dropping off the dog with their relatives since the canine wouldn't be allowed the hotels they had booked for the rest of the vacation, according to KPNX-TV.

"They are going to foster him until they either fall in love with him and keep him themselves or find him a good home," Munford said of Canyon's current situation.

The puppy seems to be settling in well to his foster home. Photos on his Facebook page, AZ Canyon, show him playing with a pooch friend named Vino, working on his social skill by meeting new people and pigs, and enjoying peaceful naps.

"When I think of what this pup went through during his time abandoned in the desert before my cousins found and saved him, I get sad," Canyon's current caretaker wrote in a Feb. 21 AZ Canyon post. "He must have had some cold, scary and lonely nights. Fast forward to today — I love seeing him sleeping peacefully, feeling safe and protected."

Those interested in learning more about Canyon can stay updated on the pup by following his AZ Canyon Facebook page.