Hot summer weather can be unbearable, especially for stray animals left without food, water, or a place to hide from the sun.
One blazing afternoon in California, a woman spotted a strange silhouette on a hillside near her home.
At first, she assumed it was a coyote. But after seeing the same figure in that spot for three days, she realized it was a dog, the very one neighbors had been mentioning for weeks on the Nextdoor app.
The poor dog appeared weak and dehydrated, barely holding on.
Trapped Beneath The Sun
For nearly two weeks, locals had seen the dog roaming through different areas, yet no one seemed to know who she belonged to.
Concerned for her safety, the woman contacted Suzette Hall, a seasoned animal rescuer from Irvine, California.
“It was so hot that day. I was feeling so dizzy, but I thought, ‘She’s gotta be hotter’,” Hall told The Dodo.
The dog had taken refuge high up on the hill, making access extremely difficult. Luckily, some neighbors opened their yards so Hall could climb closer to where the animal was hiding.
No matter how challenging it was, Hall knew she wouldn’t stop until the dog was safe.
When Hall finally reached the shaded area where the dog had been resting, she could see how bad things were.
“You could tell that she hadn’t had water in days,” Hall said.
She set out a humane trap filled with treats and placed a large bowl of water nearby. The thirsty pup drank eagerly but kept her distance from the trap.
Time passed slowly as Hall spoke softly and tried to earn her trust, but the frightened animal wouldn’t move closer. Hall decided to fetch some fresh chicken, hoping it would tempt her.
“I put the chicken in the trap and started to walk away and … I heard the trap shut. I turned around and started crying. This was such a hard rescue because of the location she was in, so I was exhausted and hot, and I couldn’t hold back my emotions,” Hall wrote in a Facebook post.
To her surprise, the animal inside wasn’t a stray adult but a young Belgian Malinois puppy, barely seven months old.
The steep terrain made carrying the trap impossible, so Hall called for help from the local fire department.
With the assistance of four compassionate firefighters, the little dog was finally brought down the hillside after enduring weeks of extreme heat.
Sunshine After The Storm
“I named her Sunshine because it was so hot and because she’s a bright light of sunshine,” Hall said.
The name couldn’t have been more fitting. No one knew where she came from, but it was clear this pup was meant to brighten the lives of everyone she met.
“She’s just so scared. She’ll let you pet her, but she just shakes. That’s typical for being on the streets for a long time,” Hall explained.
Sunshine was taken to a veterinarian in Irvine for a checkup and some much-needed rest. Surrounded by gentle care, she slowly began to relax and trust again.
When she was strong enough, she moved into the home of Brittany, an experienced dog trainer who agreed to foster her.
It didn’t take long for Brittany to realize Sunshine was meant to stay.
In a heartfelt post, she shared: “Originally was fostering, but when she walked up to me and gave me my first kiss, it was a wrap and I asked to adopt her.”
Now officially adopted, Sunshine spends her days feeling loved and carefree, playing alongside her canine sister, Akeela.
