Shelters around the world are flooded with homeless and abandoned animals, many of whom will eventually be euthanized. According to the ASPCA, 6.5 million animals enter U.S. shelters every single year— with 1.5 million of them being euthanized in the same time frame.
Developed by Eldad Hagar, Hope for Paws is a rescue organization dedicated to saving animals across the United States. Back in 2009, a friend told Eldad: “If I didn’t personally know you, I would have never believed the stories you’re always sharing with me.” The conversation prompted the man to start carrying a camera on his rescue adventures— and the result is a collection of unbelievable videos that have attracted nearly 3 million YouTube subscribers.
In March of 2010, Hope For Paws uploaded a video showcasing Edie, an abused Maltese-poodle mix who had been awaiting euthanization in a high-kill shelter.
Edie was being held at the Lancaster Shelter in Los Angeles. The dog was terrified of human contact and deemed “too aggressive” to ever be adopted. As a result, she was scheduled to be put down. Luckily, Eldad’s friend Bronwynne Mirkovich caught wind of the situation and stepped in to save her life. Once Bronwynne had rescued Edie, she asked Eldad to meet her at the vet’s to evaluate the terrified pup.
In the video, you see Eldad remove the lid of a carrier.
As soon as he approaches Edie with a leash, however; the dog cowers in a corner and begins barking and growling at her rescuers.
Edie’s terrified barks are heartbreaking to listen to. According to the Rumble video description, rescuers suspect she may have been severely molested, causing her to fear any human that may approach her.
The noises Edie makes are heartbreaking. It’s clear she has been completely traumatized and failed by every person in her life.
In the video, Eldad writes: “Edie was so scared that she defecated, so I quickly pulled her out of the corner.” Once he has her out of the corner, however, a beautiful moment occurs. As the dog continues to howl in terror, Eldad pulls her on to his lap to soothe her.
As he pets her back and gives Edie (what is likely) her first taste of love, the dog instantly calms down.
Edie nestles into Eldad’s chest, cuddling with the kind man. Her little tongue emerges and you even see her give him a few doggy kisses. The rapid transformation is unbelievable. As Eldad notes in the video:
“All Edie needed is a hug.”
It’s incredible to think this dog would have died for being “too aggressive” when all she needed was somebody to love her.
At one point, Edie even lays on her back, enjoying a nice belly rub. It does not seem like the same animal.
Next Bronwynne and Eldad bathed and groomed Edie. They shave the dog down to get rid of her knots of neglect.
Edie stayed with Bronwynne until they found her a permanent home with a woman in San Marino. In this update shared by her rescuer, you see the dog’s reaction when she’s introduced to her new mom and house.
When Bronwynne and Eldad shared Edie’s story, the video immediately went viral.
Even years after it was posted, it continues to simultaneously break and warm people’s hearts. In a post dated July 22, 2013, Hope For Paws wrote: “Pretty amazing that even 3 years after this video was posted, it is still seen thousands of times every day!! This video was SHARED almost 60,000 times in the past two weeks alone.”
People are enamored with Edie’s transformation— especially considering all she needed was a little bit of love.
Comments on the video read:
“His dedication to calm her down was so strong he still put her on his lap after she defecated.”
“All that dog needed was LOVE!!!! Not to be put down”
“Edie was like ‘NO NO NO NO NO NO’ *gets on lap* ‘Oh, actually this is quite nice…’ Bless her heart!”
Watch the incredible moment below!
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