“I wasn’t sure if she was even alive …”
Aly Mac was preparing to take her dogs for a walk when she noticed something unusual in her Los Angeles yard: a small white ball of fluff huddled in the grass.
As a volunteer foster carer for Love Leo Rescue, Mac approached the dog to check if she was breathing. “I wasn’t sure if she was alive at first because she didn’t move when I spoke to her,” Mac recalled. “But eventually, she started to open her eyes. She looked extremely tired, weak, and depleted.”
Mac quickly brought her own dogs inside and fetched a plate of food and a cup of water for the stray. The scent of food seemed to revive the dog, who woke up and eagerly ate and drank. “After she had a bit to eat and drink, I was able to slip a leash around her head,” Mac said.
She then managed to coax the exhausted pup inside with more food. “I decided to cancel my plans to help her and get her to safety,” Mac explained. The dog, a Great Pyrenees with visible scars, appeared to have been used for breeding and then discarded by her previous owners.
Mac took the dog to the vet that day. As expected, she was not microchipped but had several parasites, including tapeworms and fleas. “I gave her a much-needed flea bath when we got home,” Mac said. “She wasn’t thrilled about it, but I think it was the best sleep she’d had in a long time.”
Unfortunately, Mac couldn’t keep the dog due to her full house, so Sasha Abelson, founder of Love Leo Rescue, arranged for another foster carer to take her in. They named the dog Coconut.
“We placed her in a wonderful foster home with a trainer who helped her relax and recover from her past trauma,” Abelson shared. Meanwhile, Mac’s video of Coconut, posted on the rescue’s Instagram, went viral.
“The video resonated with people across the country and around the world,” Abelson said. “We received numerous emails, likes, and adoption inquiries.”
Soon, Coconut found her perfect forever home thanks to the widespread attention from the video. “It didn’t take long because of the tremendous interest she received,” Abelson noted. “The video really helped her find her forever home.”