“You could tell she just wanted to be loved.”
A little brown dog wandered the streets of Bali, Indonesia, looking for shelter. She found a hole that was just big enough for her and entered it. It was the start of a drain pipe that was located next to a busy street.
The dog, who was eventually given the name Charlie, wished someone would see her. Sadly, the temporary residence she had chosen wasn’t doing any good. Charlie’s hazel eyes were peering out from the curb, but most automobiles were moving too quickly to see them.
Her luck eventually turned, though.
Charlie’s mother, Aubrey V. Lynn, told The Dodo, “I was at home working and my partner was heading to the gym, leaving our neighborhood, when he saw her.” He kept going by and realized he couldn’t just leave her, so he made a U-turn and texted me.
Lynn was moved to tears and inspired by Charlie’s condition; she was saddened that the puppy was abandoned but also eager to lend a hand.
Lynn and her partner didn’t want the puppy to accidentally dart into traffic, so they knew the rescue had to be done carefully.
Since she would occasionally emerge from the hole, Lynn claimed that “we both felt really anxious.” We tried to catch her, but she wouldn’t let us get close enough.
In an effort to tempt Charlie out of the drain, the two went to a nearby pet store and purchased dog food. Next, they awaited. The puppy remained immobile for more than 24 hours.
“We sat there for hours trying to grab her,” Lynn recalled. When we tried to leave by getting back on our scooter because she wouldn’t come out, she rushed right up to us.
As though instantly soothed by a loving touch, the puppy, who’d been so standoffish, quickly relaxed.
“She calmed immediately and didn’t try to get away,” Lynn said.
Lynn brought Charlie home with her. Although they hadn’t wanted a puppy, it didn’t take them long to realize they were in love.
“We never talked about it while trying to rescue her, because our focus was just getting her to safety, but I think both of us knew in that moment that she was a part of our family now,” said Lynn.
Charlie acclimated without any issues despite not having spent a lot of time around people or in the security of a home. She appeared to be aware that she was at home.
“[Charlie] really adapted well,” Lynn remarked. “We gave her some time to eat and sleep safely, and when we finally went to sit with her, she was hesitant at first but warmed up very soon. It was incredibly nice because you could sense she just wanted to be loved.
Lynn and her partner can’t help but wonder at how well Charlie fits into their lives as they run about with Charlie in their yard and play fetch. This two-person family has expanded to a three-person family, which they had not anticipated.
