The cute new arrival at the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center in Riverside will be available for adoption in about two weeks, a dramatic turn from its situation Monday morning, when the dog was tied up in a burlap sack and left to die along a road in Riverside County.
But the three-year-old dog, named "Angel" by volunteers, had her own angel, named Debra Jordan.
Jordan, who volunteers her time to help animals, spotted the bag on her way to work. Another dog was sniffing and pawing at the bag. Then Jordan noticed the bag was moving. She cut open the bag and found a shivering, muddy puppy.
"She was really dirty," said Carrie Ridgeway, another volunteer. "She had a lot of mud around her ears and she had some fly bites on the tips of her ears. She probably wasn't cared for. She may have just been kind of in a backyard."
But a few good meals and a bath have done wonders.
"She's in really good shape," Ridgeway said. "She's tired from her little plight. But she's a quiet girl. She's happy."
Now what she needs is a permanent home.
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"She just wants to be a lap dog," Ridgeway said. "She's a pleaser. She just wants to be on your lap and give you love."
This story may have a happy ending, but it started as a classic case of illegal animal abuse. And it didn't have to happen, Ridgeway said, adding there are many resources for people who can't care for their pets.
"There's always resources for you," she said. "There's lots of animal welfare organizations and people like us, who want to help you."
Angel will be available for adoption in two weeks, after she gets her shots. But applicants can fill out the paperwork starting Friday. If Angel's reversal of fortunate continues, there's someone out there who will give her a good home.
