It was just after sunrise when Suzette Hall, founder of Logan’s Legacy 29, and volunteer Mary Nakiso pulled up to a local car dealership. The business was still closed when they arrived, which helped them spot the stray dog they were there to rescue: a sweet little boy who’d been living at the dealership for weeks, searching for his family.
But it wasn’t until the dealership opened for the day that the two rescuers realized just how desperately he’d been looking.
“[I]t was quiet … until the first customers started walking the lot,” Hall wrote on Facebook. “And that’s when the most heartbreaking thing happened: He began following them. One-by-one. As if he thought, maybe they were his family.”
Suzette Hall
The rescuers’ hearts broke as they watched the dog, later named Angel, circle unsuspecting shoppers. They were shocked, too, since the Good Samaritan who’d been taking care of him, Denisse Miranda, mentioned that he was usually frightened by people.
“Every day, [Denisse] would bring him food, hoping that one day he’d let her close,” Hall wrote. “But every time … he would run.”
Suzette Hall
Knowing that he was afraid of people, the rescuers had arrived earlier that morning with a humane dog trap in tow. They hoped that, by offering him delicious food and giving him space, Angel would enter the trap on his own. But sadly, he was too scared to go in.
“We set my trap, but the sound scared him, and off he went,” Hall wrote. “Still, he kept circling back, like he wanted to trust but just couldn’t yet.”
Suzette Hall
Hall and Nakiso continued to watch the dog from a distance, praying he’d enter the crate before customers arrived. Their nerves skyrocketed when people started arriving on the lot, assuming that Angel would bolt again. But his reaction to the customers changed everything.
“He would literally follow behind them, his tiny body wagging, his eyes pleading, ‘Are you my family? Are you here for me?’” Hall wrote. “It broke us.”
You can watch Angel follow customers around here:
Instead of watching from a distance, Nakiso decided to change her approach. While Hall ran to grab more equipment, Nakiso walked up to the dog and simply offered him some love.
“There was Mary Nakiso, kneeling quietly, her hand stretched out,” Hall wrote. “And he was letting her pet him. After hours and hours and hours, he finally let his guard down. He knew. He felt her goodness.”
Suzette Hall
That’s when their initial plan of trapping Angel changed. After winning him over, Nakiso was able to slip a leash over his neck and carry him to her car.
“[That’s] the miracle moment …” Hall wrote.
Suzette Hall
Hall drove Angel straight to her partner veterinary clinic, Camino Pet Hospital, where he received a thorough checkup and a relieving bath. He soon went off to foster care, where he’s been resting and recovering ever since.
Angel is still looking for a forever home, and Hall is confident that the right family will come along soon. Until then, she’s enjoying every new update from Angel’s foster, feeling grateful that the sweet boy is no longer on his own at the dealership.
“[He’s] so fragile, so full of heart,” Hall wrote. “But he’s safe now. No more parking lots. No more running. No more following strangers, hoping they were family. Because now … he will have one.”
To inquire about adopting Angel, you can email Suzette Hall at info@loganslegacy29.com.
To help pups like Angel get the care they need, you can donate to Logan’s Legacy 29 here.
