Many people assume that their friends or family will take care of their pets if they pass away, but unfortunately this is not always the case. When a man near Los Angeles died suddenly, his dog named Nico had no one to care for him. The dog was abandoned and ended up fighting for his life in the LA River.
Nico’s family members didn’t offer to accept him, but there were many strangers who were happy to become his new family. When animal lovers heard about a dog trapped in the river, they didn’t hesitate to save its life.
fighting for his life
Several passersby became concerned when they noticed a small dog waddling through the Los Angeles River with no way to escape on its own. First, people approached animal control and the fire department, but no one rushed to help the dog. So someone contacted Hope for Paws and showed them pictures of the dog by the river. The members of the organization arrived at the place as fast as they could.
Fortunately, the dog was trapped in a place where he could stand and walk, so he was not at risk of drowning. But when animal rescuers came down to look for him, the temperature was 110 degrees Fahrenheit. So, they explored the tunnels to see if the cub was looking for shade.
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A rescuer recorded footage of them walking through the tunnels to find the dog. As they got deeper, it got dark enough for them to need night vision goggles. Fortunately, the dog had not gone deep into the tunnel, so rescuers found it curled up in a dry area against the tunnel wall.
The poor pup seemed terrified and confused as rescuers gave him two clues. However, he showed no signs of aggression and did not resist when a woman from the team picked him up. He had probably had a rough couple of days, so he was grateful to finally be in someone’s loving arms again.
happily ever after by Nico
The dog had a microchip, so Hope for Paws scanned it to discover that the pup’s human recently passed away and someone dumped the dog in the street. His human’s daughters had no interest in the dog, and didn’t even know his name. So the rescue organization took care of the pup.
Hope for Paws referred to the pup as Nico. They gave him a long overdue bath and shaved off his severely matted hair. Once Nico was clean and healthy, he came to life and became very affectionate with his rescuers.
Since then, Nico has been adopted by a loving family and seems happier than ever. When his new humans sing, Nico likes to howl with them. Now, Nico will never have to worry about being abandoned again.
Unfortunately, the abandonment of pets after the death of their owners is more common than people think. Therefore, Hope for Paws has partnered with FreeWill to encourage pet parents to put their animals in their wills. If you’d like to support rescue missions like Nico’s, you can donate to Hope for Paws.
Watch Nico’s rescue video here:
Featured Image: YouTube
