We knew we didn’t have much time.
Orange County Animal Services took in a dog that was hit by a car and suffered severe injuries that they were unable to handle. So OCAS put out a plea to rescue groups, saying the young dog they named Autumn had until 5 p.m. because they didn’t have the resources to help.
There was never any doubt we would rescue Autumn. That’s what we do: take care of abandoned, neglected and hurt dogs in our community. Within a few hours, one of our volunteers had scooped her up and immediately taken her to our vet partner, Oviedo Veterinary Care and Emergency.
The little brown-and-white girl with soulful eyes was in bad shape. She couldn’t stand, was bleeding from the mouth, had a gaping head wound with several skull fractures and additional fractures throughout her body.
We had no idea that although Autumn was badly hurt, she wasn’t abandoned or neglected.
And her name is Lula.
While the pup was getting X-rays, antibiotics and pain meds at the vet, her family was frantically searching for her.
Lula escaped while her owner was on a work trip – Lula is always by her side, and the owner thinks she bolted to try to find her mommy. Her husband had not been able to find her, so the family put up flyers and social posts. That’s where the connection was made: the dog we saved was the missing Lula.
Lula, who isn’t even a year old, and her doggy sibling were adopted just a few months ago, but they are already a very special part of the family. Many happy tears were shed knowing Lula is safe and will soon be home.
Even though Lula didn’t need a foster or adopter, she did need to be rescued. We are happy to have played a role in getting Lula the immediate care that she needed and back to her family.
