Rescuers Notice Something Special About Sick And Starving Dog Found On The Streets

Hope For Paws regularly rescues stray dogs in desperate condition off the streets of Los Angeles. When they were told about Julia, she was walking on on the streets of South Central, disoriented and clearly very sick. But from the moment Eldad Hagar saw her, he knew she was special. She was no less sick than the other dogs that he has rescued in the past, but Eldad guesses that Julia is most likely a wolf-hybrid.

“Usually we rescue dogs, but this time, I am pretty sure that we rescued a wolf-hybrid!!” Eldad writes on the Hope For Paws Facebook page.

When Eldad and Lisa Chiarelli first spotted Julia from the car, she was hunched over and walking towards a yard.

“As I slowed down in front of the gate, Lisa Chiarelli opened the door and jumped out before I even came to a complete halt,” Eldad writes on Flickr. She calmly closed the gate, and the first part of this rescue was over – Julia was secured.”

“Julia had an old rope tied to her which indicates to me that someone owned and neglected her to a criminal level…” says Eldad.

She was swollen with infections and her skin was oozing puss and blood. She was starving, just skin and bones under her coat.

“Lisa offered treats and worked slowly to gain Julia’s trust,” says Eldad.

Even though Julia was clearly starving, she took food gently from Lisa’s hand.

After 20 minutes, Lisa was able to place Eldad’s Lucky Leash around Julia’s neck.

“At that point, the property owner noticed that we’re in her yard,” says Eldad. “I explained to her what happened, gave her my business card, and promised we would take good care of this poor girl that was wandering in this neighborhood.”

Eldad and Lisa took Julia back to the car and made it comfortable so that she could hang out with them on the way to the vet hospital.

“Julia was a little unsure about hopping into a car, so we had to encourage her and explain to her that things are about to get AMAZINGLY BETTER :-)”

They battled traffic to get Julia to The Veterinary Care Center in Hollywood where she could begin treatment.

They took samples immediately to confirm their suspicions that Julia had Demodectic Mange, and tests came back positive.

Julia let Lisa touch her and as vets prepared Julia for a medicated bath, Eldad and Lisa got to know her.

They noticed her paws were swollen and her nails were long and uncut, causing her discomfort when she walked. “But it was all about to change,” Eldad writes.

“She is only 2 years old, but such an old soul…I can’t even imagine what she had gone through during all this time since she was born.”

“When we got the water running, we noticed right away how skinny she was… just awful to see.”

As she got her bath, the water broke down the scabs from the mange and Julia started bleeding. But this is a necessary step in treating her mange.

“As Lisa grabbed a towel, Julia just rested her head on Lisa’s arm…this was a stressful experience for Julia, and she was happy it was over,” Eldad explains.

Before calling it a night, the veterinarian checked Julia over.

“Three hours after the rescue I came back to the hospital,” writes Eldad. “I just wanted to spend a little more time with her before going to sleep.”

“On the first day Julia didn’t want to eat much, so Lisa and I returned with some really good food, and that helped :-)”

Julia is regaining some of her strength but is still spending most of her time sleeping.

“Today I took Julia and we sat together outside for an hour,” Eldad writes. “We enjoyed each other’s company, we looked at the people who looked at us and probably thought to themselves ‘look at this guy sitting there with a wolf’.”

“Julia is still not wagging her tail… she just shows her appreciation by rubbing her head on me. What a special girl.”

A few days later, and Julia has turned a corner. Eldad and Lisa went to visit her and got a wonderful gift. “We have been waiting for her long tail to wag just a little, and after a few rough days, it finally happened!!!” says Eldad.

Eldad posted a short video clip of Julia getting treats and wagging her tail for them! (Be sure to press the play button to watch the video.)

“Julia is obviously still at the hospital, on I.V fluids, antibiotics, and pain killers,” writes Eldad. “She has a long recovery ahead of her both physically and emotionally, but I am sure you can already tell how beautiful and majestic she is. Julia has special, calm, wise eyes… I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s something so special.”

You can find out more about Julia and the other dogs Hope For Paws rescues on Facebook and their website.

Share Julia’s rescue story with your friends and family!