Last week, Stephanie Hassell was traveling through Cherokee County, Texas, leaving home to pick up her daughter from work with her other daughter in the back seat when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye.
Hassell, the president and director
of Bella’s Heart Dog Rescue, a non-profit dedicated to helping local strays and lower-income pet owners, immediately suspected something was wrong. She stopped the car and looked in her rearview mirror. At first, Hassell mistook the babies for bits of undergrowth. Then she saw their scared faces — three puppies, all alone.
“They were so close to the edge of the road and terrified,” Hassell said in a video. “I thought they were a log.”
The rescuer jumped out of her car and began ushering the first two pups to safety. As she examined them, Hassell heard whimpering in the woods. It was the third puppy, wedged under a log, suffering from broken legs.
Hassell took the pups home and posted about the incident on social media. One of her TikTok posts quickly racked up millions of views, and concerned animal lovers began donating food and medicine for the pups, along with money to help cover the third dog’s surgery.
Today, the puppies, now named Azriel, Cassian and Rhysand, are all doing well. Once they're fully vetted and recovered, they’ll travel to a rescue in Maine, where a team will help them find loving homes.
Hassell hopes this story encourages pet owners to rehome their animals humanely.
“Dumping puppies should never happen,” Hassell told The Dodo. “Doing the right thing may be hard, but you should do it anyway.”
Though the rescue began under difficult circumstances, Hassell is heartened by everyone who’s donated and shown support, helping both these pups and future dogs who might find refuge at the non-profit.
“Thanks to our amazing online family, we have more than a plan for them,” Hassell said. “They have a future, and so does Bella’s Heart.”
