As my husband and I were driving out of our neighborhood one Sunday morning, we spot a small little dog in the middle of a popular street where traffic speed is usually around 45 MPH! She seemed to be trying to eat something off the road right in the middle of both lanes. My heart sank and I was terrified she would get hit by a car if we didn't get to her in time. I asked my husband to quickly park the car on the side of the road and we both got out of the car, not really knowing how we were going to get her to come with us. I had my husband go behind her while I called out to her to come to the sidewalk. Unfortunately she was not happy about our presence and starting barking at us quite loudly. I could tell she was fearful and nervous so we used that to our advantage and basically steered her back into the neighborhood. We were hoping she might look around and try to find her way back home. So we got back in the car and followed her a little bit but it was very clear that she didn't have a clue where she was going. At this point I left my husband near her while I drove back to the house to grab some canned dog food, a fork and a leash. I was hoping her hunger would win over her fear! I was on the phone with my husband and found them not far from where I'd left them.
Now the question was, how close was she going to let me get? She was a loud and persistent barker warning us to stay away but after a little while and lots of soft talking and slow approaches she let me get close enough to put some of the dog food down. As she came closer I backed away to allow her to gain some confidence and eat. All the while we are asking anyone around us if they knew who she belonged to. Sadly no one knew. I finally was able to feed her right at my side and coaxed her to come and eat right beside my car. At this point I knew I had to act decisively if I was going to have any chance of getting her in the car. The rear side door was already open so in one cautious and gentle swoop I picked her up and put her in the back seat. She was so stunned that she looked like a little statue! LOL! She had no collar she was dirty from being outside and her tiny feet were very rough. All signs that she had been kept out in someone's yard or that she had been on the streets for a while now. My heart ached at the thought that she didn't have a family who could love and care for her. We took her inside and I put her in my master bathroom. I put some soft cozy towels some more food and water and let her rest. We tried looking for her owners. We posted on social media and asked around our neighborhood but turned up nothing. No one was looking for little Leena. ;-( We initially were going to find a home for her since we already had many other animals but days turned into weeks and weeks turned onto months and she soon became our very sweet, and quirky little fur daughter. We adore her and she is quite the Daddy's Girl these days! So grateful we were able to keep her from harm that day she was on the busy street.
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