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Rescued shepherd turns out to be part squirrel
She had been crying for days. On a rainy Los Angeles morning, people nearby called Hope for Paws, and the rescuers found a German shepherd mix cowering beneath a car. more
She didn't want company. When Eldad Hagar and Loreta Frankonyte came close, she slipped behind a van and used it like a shield. Loreta held out a piece of burger. The dog went quiet for a while, and then, slowly, she let Loreta come near.
SaveThe first touch was too much. As soon as Loreta tried to pet her, the crying started again. It's a hard sound to hear, and many people who heard it said so. One of them wrote that she just sounded heartbroken.
The rescuers didn't rush her. They didn't want her to turn aggressive, so every move was slow. After a few minutes she walked to another part of the street and lay down between two buildings near the car.
That was their chance. Eldad set a net around the spot so she couldn't bolt. When she tried to come out, Loreta was already waiting at the gap with a long rope looped at one end, and she took her time slipping it on. Then the dog was safe to pet, and someone noticed something new. "Oh look, she's wagging her tail." The rescuers named her Rain and set her gently in a crate.
SaveAt the shelter she got a bath and medical care. Two weeks later, Allison Dunbar adopted her. Allison is a well-known animal rescuer and volunteer, and her family wanted a name that fit the dog they were getting to know. They chose Sassy Pants Dunbar.
SaveSassy took to her new home right away and made fast friends with Allison's dog, Ernie. When Eldad and Loreta came to see her, she whimpered to them. They met a different dog, one who flops onto her back in the grass to play.
SaveAllison told them Sassy loves to shake hands with people. "She does a lot with her hands," she said. "I say she's like part squirrel, 'cause she's always holding things."




