Seven puppies under rocks + an unexpected surprise.

Rescuing nine dogs in a single day is complicated, but this rescue came with an extra layer of difficulty. The area was large and open, giving the dogs endless opportunities to run away and hide. To make matters more challenging, the two adults had no human contact for months. (Luckily, the puppies really liked cheeseburgers, so that part was easy.) 😊

Like so many rescues, we have to drive long distances (for this one, it was 2 hours east of Los Angeles). I arrived shortly before Katie, so I got to see the family first. The adults ran away as soon as they spotted me, and I had a feeling this was going to be a very long day. Using my trick of playing YouTube videos of crying puppies, I was able to spot the puppies hiding quietly under the rocks. I introduced myself, gave them a taste of a cheeseburger, and promised I would be back with another one.

Before continuing with the rest of the story, I just wanted to pause for a second and thank you all for being here. In just two days, we will celebrate our 18th anniversary of Hope For Paws, and it's important that you know that so many of these animals would never have survived without your support.

A group of longtime Hope For Paws supporters has stepped forward with a $50,000 matching gift challenge. That means every dollar you give today will be doubled, instantly creating twice the impact for animals who desperately need help.

Together, we have the opportunity to turn $50,000 into $100,000 in lifesaving care, emergency rescues, medical treatment, and second chances.

This is one of those rare moments when a single act of kindness can have twice the impact. Thanks to a generous matching gift, every donation will be doubled, helping us rescue, heal, and protect even more animals in need. Together, we can transform hope into action and save more lives than ever before. Please join us. 🙏
 

It is such a critical thing to understand in rescue situations. Always capture the hardest dogs first and leave the easy ones for the end. The reason is very simple: if I captured the puppies first, the mom would have known that this was my intent and my capability, so she would most likely abandon them to “save herself”. In a terrible location like this, it would be just a matter of time until a pack of coyotes would attack her or she would panic, run, and get hit by a car.

Patience is the key to success, thinking things through quickly to make sure no mistakes are made, and then you need a little bit of luck too.

Right away, I wanted to separate the two adults so one wouldn't see the other being captured (the trick there didn't work well at first, but I adjusted the plan quickly). As soon as we got the first dog, I immediately asked Katie to bring her Jeep so we could get the first dog away from the area. My fear was that a certain bark would alert the mom that something “really bad” just happened, and she would disappear. Luckily, Alexis Aguilar, who called us, was nearby, and she agreed to watch Spirit while we focused on the mom, so Katie drove to her location, dropped her off, and returned to the rescue location.

I immediately got back to work, set up the trap, and drove away so the mom wouldn't suspect anything (I still had eyes on the trap). Here we needed some luck… the mom was hungry, so she walked into the trap fairly quickly. The mechanism didn't work right away, and she had already turned around to walk out, and then, the trap slammed shut! You will probably notice that both traps closed unusually hard and fast - this is happening now because of a modification I created, and it really helps prevent the dogs from getting out.

The puppies were so happy to hear that the man with the cheeseburgers returned, and this time they rushed out of their hiding spot. 😄

Alexis joined Katie and me, and together we got all of them to the Jeep.

Luckily, the whole rescue didn't take too long, and we were able to head back to CARES.

I don't want to give away the twist to the story - I would love for you to just enjoy the video. ❤️

The family is fostered by our friends at LA Animal Rescue, so to adopt them, please contact them directly. They sent me this beautiful set of photos of the puppies… they are all so cute!

Thank you so much for helping us save them!

Happy Birthday Hope For Paws.

Eldad