20. A Dog Was Cowering Under a Car
Finding an animal in distress is more than heartbreaking, and many rescuers face these issues but know that in the end, it is all worth their effort. Rescue groups like Hope For Paws dedicate their lives to save strays and rehabilitate them. When they received a call about a crying shepherd mix, they rushed to the scene… You will need some tissues because this story is quite the emotional rollercoaster.
It was all alone, cowering under a car, trying to avoid humans as much as possible. Two members of the organization, Loreta Frankonyte and Eldad Hagar took a cheeseburger and headed towards the scared pooch…
The poor dog was using the big van to hide from humans. She was obviously terrified, not willing to come out.
Then, Loreta came closer to her, showing the dog that she came with delicious food.
As Loreta approached the scared dog, it began crying just like a human! This dog was definitely scared, homeless and had a complete aversion to being approached by humans.
Nobody knew the dog’s background or if it would attack out of fear…
It took the woman a lot of patience and courage to approach such a scared animal that would act aggressively out of fear. Sometimes, when they’re cornered, dogs may attack just to let the humans know they should back off.
But Loreta had a cheeseburger - although they're not as healthy as Purina or superpremium dog foods...
Strangely enough, this scared girl backed down and got under the car, no matter how enticing the cheeseburger might have been.
She was petrified and was not ready to trust humans, even if they handed her the tastiest food on Earth…
This rescue mission would have been easier if the dog was more trusting, but what Loreta and Eldad wanted in the first place was to win the dog’s trust and not take her by force. So, Loreta slowly tried to put a lasso around the dog’s neck, but let her go when she saw reacting like this.
Unfortunately, the poor dog ran away!
The shepherd mix thought she’d be safe right between the two buildings behind the van, but Eldad acts fast and brings a net to surround the two containers. One exist is guarded by him, as he films their entire rescue mission and the other one is secured by Loreta, patiently talking to the scared dog.
Then, something changes…
Whining for a while, the pooch listens to Loreta as she tries to coax her into coming with them. It was heartbreaking to hear her cry like that.
Her big German shepherd ears are down, showing Loreta how scared she really is. The rescuer gives the pooch enough time to calm down and then she starts looking a little bit less scared!
The pooch who is now named Rain because of the rainy morning finally got out on her own, still holding her tail tucked between her legs. Slowly, Eldad adds one more leash for their safety and then tries to pet her.
Rain accepts the gentle pets and it’s time to head to the cage and to the vet…
The person that called for the rescuers is Carey Linnell, who is there by the cage, holding door open. Rain sees her, and instead of getting into the cage, she gets on all fours and slides under Carey’s arm, waiting for reassurance that everything will be okay.
Then, she leaves everyone in awe as she goes inside the cage on her own!
It’s finally time for her transformation!
In the cage, Rain gets to enjoy her burger and even wags her tail a bit. She is safe and she’s in for a treat at the vet, where she gets some TLC, starting with a spa day and a ton of cuddles on the couch with Loreta.
With some grooming done and a veterinarian check, Rain was going to experience a new life!
From the terrified pooch she was that morning, we can safely say that a warm bath and a lot of cuddles made Rain realize that she was getting only love from these humans.
It’s obvious this good girl was once someone’s pet, although she had no chip…
It was clear that she was now finally remembering how it felt like when someone cared for her, or else she wouldn’t have been so happy and trusting just after a few hours from meeting Loreta.
But the best is yet to come for Rain, and only two weeks later, someone asks about her!
Days passed and Rain was a different pup from the one that was crying as humans approached her. She was now hopping around like a deer and shaking paws with everyone that would scratch her behind the ears or give her belly rubs.
She was ready for adoption only 2 weeks after being rescued!
Two weeks after Rain being rescued, Loreta went with another animal rescuer called Allison Dunbar to save a different stray pooch in need of some help.
When getting to the Paws facility, Allison fell in love with Rain.
Allison gave Rain a new home with a backyard and an old furry friend called Ernie.
The Dunbars also decide to give Rain a new name to reflect the dog’s actual personality after the transformation…
Rain is a sunny, intelligent dog, with a great personality.
She is now nicknamed ‘Sassy Pants Dunbar,’ and it fits her like a glove!
The pooch is now famous on the internet as her story went viral.
She’s a lot more happy in her new house next to old Ernie who she looks up to and loves to nuzzle up against him all day long.
Looking back at the time when they found her, the German shepherd mix was afraid of everything around her, even her own shadow.
Now, with love and trust, we get to see her sassy personality!
Be it a dog, a different animal, even another person, we can all say that love, trust, and a helping hand can change their lives.
All the sadness and fear this sweet dog had finally disappeared thanks to her rescuers that will never forget Rain, ‘Sassy Pants Dunbar.’