When Hope for Paws founder Eldad Hagar heard about a curly-haired stray dog roaming through a Los Angeles park, he knew he had to rescue her. Hagar headed over to the park and went to the track down the scared pup.
Hagar and his assistant Lisa Arturo found the dog, who Hagar later named Petunia, hiding underneath a pick-up truck in a parking lot near the park.
Hagar slowly approached Petunia, trying to tempt her with treats.
He described the interaction to The Dodo:
“I laid flat on my stomach and crawled under the truck. Petunia wagged her tail nervously, but I knew we would be cool. At one moment this closeness made her nervous, and she got up to leave. That’s the moment when I grabbed her leg.”
Hagar explained that he wouldn’t normally grab a dog’s leg—dogs take this is a sign of aggression and may bite. But Hagar was worried that if he didn’t grab her, Petunia would run away and he would lose his chance to rescue her.
Thankfully, Hagar’s move worked. Once Petunia stopped moving, he pulled her into his lap. The pup was still a little nervous, but she started to calm down as Hagar pet her.
When Hagar was holding Petunia, he finally realized why she was so anxious: she was lactating, which meant she had a puppy close by.
Hagar and Arturo put Petunia on a leash and started searching for her puppies. They quickly found a 3-day-old puppy laying in some nearby bushes. They named the tiny puppy Petals.
As soon as Petunia saw Petals, she started to relax.
Once Petals was safe, Hagar looked around to see if Petunia had any more puppies. Hagar played Petunia a video of crying puppies, which he thought would make Petunia’s maternal instincts kick in. Then, he hoped she would lead the rescuers to any other puppies. Petunia kept running back to Petals, though, so Hagar knew she was Petunia’s only puppy.
Hagar and Arturo took Petunia and Petals over to a vet’s office. They learned that Petunia had a small infection in her ears, but besides that the two pups were in great health!
Arturo decided to foster the dogs, and the pups quickly grew comfortable in Arturo’s home. Arturo shared a sweet video of Petunia and Petals playing with Arturo’s other dog, Olive.
Petunia is really enjoying herself these days.
Posted by Lisa Arturo on Saturday, August 20, 2016
Arturo also shared another cute video of Petunia and Petals relaxing together.
Petunia and petals enjoying a relaxing afternoon with meditation music and comfy blankets.
Posted by Lisa Arturo on Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Petals quickly grew up, and soon, she looked a whole lot like her mom!
Once Petals was big enough, Hagar and Arturo moved Petunia and Petals to another wonderful foster home. They also put the pups up for adoption through Shelter Hope Pet Shop.
For months, Petunia was on her own, finding shelter where she could and doing the best to provide for her puppy. Now, Petunia and Petals are being cared for by people who want them to have the best life possible. These caring people will make sure that Petunia and Petals go to the perfect forever home!
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