The other day, Suzette Hall received a heart-wrenching call from a homeowner in Southern California. A stray dog, recently dumped by her family in a park across the street, kept wandering around the caller’s neighborhood —and she’d started taking shelter in the woman’s bushes.
“The park is filled with coyotes, but she found herself safer in the neighborhood across the street,” Hall, founder of Logan’s Legacy dog rescue, wrote on Facebook. “We found out she would sleep in the same yard.”
When Hall arrived at the woman’s house, she spoke with a group of neighbors who’d attempted to rescue the dog before. However, the pup had refused to let them get close.
“Everyone tried so hard, but she was so scared,” Hall wrote. “When I pulled up … I could literally feel her fear and sadness.”
With an impending rainstorm threatening to come down at any minute, Hall immediately jumped into action. She set her humane dog trap with delicious snacks and waited for the dog to get near.
The timid pup inched closer to Hall, but she was too nervous to enter the crate. Hall decided to give the dog some space by driving away from the trap, and she was soon surprised by the little one’s reaction.
“[S]he ran after my van,” Hall wrote. “She knew I was safe, and she knew I was there to save her.”
Hall got out of her van and, with the help of baby gates, corraled the dog into her trap. Hall felt an overwhelming sense of relief when she’d successfully captured the dog — and the group of onlooking neighbors had the same reaction.
“All the neighbors were watching, and they cheered when I finally had her safe,” Hall wrote. “I was so happy she was safe, too.”
Hall carefully lifted the dog, whom she named Iris, and placed her in the front seat of her van. As she drove to Camino Pet Hospital, the dedicated rescuer looked down and nearly burst into tears when she saw how Iris was sleeping.
Iris fell asleep with her head on the seat’s armrest and paws were clasped together in a prayer position.
“It felt like she was really praying,” Hall told The Dodo. “She went through so much, and it really felt like she was so grateful.”
Iris’s prayers were answered when Hall saved her. The sweet girl went on to meet her new friends at the vet clinic, where she received a clean bill of health. She’s getting ready to go into foster care soon, where she’ll finally experience true love and care for the first time.
Hall hopes to find a forever family for Iris soon. But for now, she’s overjoyed to know that the sweet girl is resting in a warm home, just like the one she’d prayed for.