It was really good of you to get him away from the traffic and try to contact the owner. He's a beautiful boy, and I truly hope he can get into a better situation than the one he is in. Have you ever talked to the neighbor any? I wonder if he'd be willing to give the dog up if a home could be found for him.

I do understand that an 8 hour (round) trip is not something everyone can simply undertake. For one, gas is incredibly expensive, and I know for me, I'd be afraid that my 19-year-old car would break down on the way. Some shelters also have stiff fees for surrendering an animal, especially no kill shelters. Perhaps you could try calling animal control for them to come out and have a look at the situation. Depending on the laws around there, the owner could get a stiff fine for not keeping his dog confined, not having him licensed or rabies vaccinated or that type of thing. Of course there'd be a risk then of them confiscating the dog and taking him to the kill shelter.

It's not an easy situation, I wish you the best in doing what you can for that pretty boy.