Good Samaritan May Johnson was going about her usual day at work when she noticed a dog wandering on the dried-up bed of the LA River. She immediately notified her co-worker Dennis Lake to call for help. Luckily, another co-worker, Eowyn Mishawn, knew about a local rescue group, Hope For Paws, so she called them right away to save the animal.
Rescuers Eldad Hagar, Katie McKittrick, and Alex Babcock arrived at the LA River to secure the dog. They walked about a mile on the river bed searching for the animal. Given the extreme heat, Eldad had a hunch that the dog took refuge in one of the side tunnels.
The trio slowly made their way through the tunnels, not wanting to scare the dog and cause it to run further. The passage turned dark as the rescuers went deeper, but luckily they brought night vision goggles. As Eldad rounded a bend, he paused as he glimpsed what he thought was the animal hiding behind a wall.
Eldad slowly took a closer look and confirmed that it was indeed the dog that he saw. He instructed Katie to approach the animal from the side while he held its attention. He also asked Alex to block its path in case it tried to get away.
Amazingly, the dog showed little resistance as Eldad looped it in with a gentle snare. It quietly accepted the Lucky Leash Katie put on it and did not struggle against the rescuer when she picked it up. Thankful that the rescue went easily and smoothly, Eldad, Katie, and Alex made their way out of the river with the dog secured.
Eldad informed May, Dennis, and Eowyn that the dog is safe and thanked them for asking for help on its behalf. The rescuers then drove back to the local animal hospital. There, they found that the male dog, whom they named Nico, had a microchip.
The rescuers tracked down Nico’s owner through the microchip. Sadly, they found out that the man recently passed away. His daughters, unfortunately, did not have any interest in caring for Nico, which is why the dog found itself wandering the streets.
Despite this, however, things started picking up for Nico. After getting a much-needed bath and medical clearance from the local animal clinic, Nico couldn’t be happier and more thankful to his rescuers. Things even got better for the dog as Dennis eventually made Nico an official part of the family by adopting the animal and giving it a forever home.
Credits: Hope For Paws
