Eldad Hagar, the founder and a hands-on rescuer of Hope For Paws, received an email with Dustin’s picture in it. He learned that when the dog’s owners moved out, they left the poor animal behind. And for two long months, he sat by the door, waiting for someone to come back.
Friends of Animals, an animal advocacy organization, agreed to take Justin in once he’s rescued. So Eldad wasted no time and immediately responded to the call.
At the rescue location, Eldad found Dustin fast asleep inside the yard. But when he came approaching, the dog heard him and woke up. He offered him food, but the wary dog run passed him and escaped.
Eldad knew he couldn’t use force or risk a bit at that time. So he thought of a different tactic. He set up a trap outside and waited for the dog to get in.
Dustin, however, is a pretty smart dog. When he saw the food inside the trap, he placed his front paws inside, leaving his hind legs outside. He was able to eat the food inside the trap and managed to avoid stepping on the trapping mechanism.
Realizing how smart Dustin was, Eldad had to try a different trick. He set up the trap and used placed a rope that he could use to activate it. He hoped that Dustin would run forward into the trap once he enables it, but the dog escaped and ran away instead.
Eldad followed Dustin for two straight hours. He had to keep him from running toward the bust street and waited for him to ran into someone’s backyard so he could corner him. Finally, he did.
A kind neighbor named Sonya offered to help. When Dustin had nowhere to go, Eldad used the gentle snare to catch him. But while he managed to secure the dog, Dustin acted out of fear and knocked off the camera off the rescuer’s hand. And Eldad admits it the very first time it happened.
Eldad sat with Dustin for several minutes, calming him. He wanted the dog to feel safe by his side. He wanted him to know that people aren’t so bad after all. And once he gained his trust, Dustin allowed him to place a leash around him, and off they drove back home.
Credits to Hope For Paws
