While driving through a garbage dump in Los Angeles during a heavy downpour, Lisa Chiarelli spotted a stray Pitbull standing alone. She stopped immediately and tried to coax the dog into her car.
But the frightened pup bolted.
“It was acres and acres. It was kind of on a recycling plant and there were so many places that she could hide,” Lisa told The Dodo.
Though her first attempt failed, Lisa couldn’t forget the dog’s sorrowful eyes. She returned again and again for three weeks, determined to help the abandoned Pitbull.
Building Trust One Day At A Time
Lisa visited the same spot daily, searching for the scared dog.
To earn her trust, she began feeding her in the same location.
The dog appeared to be in good physical condition, suggesting she had recently been cared for before being dumped.
On the third day, Lisa brought a friend and a trap. But the trap malfunctioned and struck the dog’s leg.
“I was so disappointed. I mean, I just started crying. She got really scared of me after the trap failed, and she wouldn’t come as close to me as she did on the first day. She would just see my car and leave,” Lisa told The Dodo.
Day after day passed and Lisa couldn’t stop thinking about the dog. She refused to give up.
She continued visiting two to three times a day, checking on the dog and maintaining the feeding station.
Around day 18, she tried the trap again, this time securing it to a tree.
“Each day I would push the food bowl a little back more to the back of the trap. We brought chicken pastrami and I set the food a little bit around the entrance, and we put the jackpot in the back of the trap,” Lisa described.
After 21 days of effort, the dog finally entered the trap. They had her.
Xena Begins Her Healing Journey
The dog, later named Xena, was anxious but strikingly beautiful.
Lisa gently placed her in the car and drove her to the vet. After an hour of quiet companionship and gentle petting, Xena began to relax.
With each passing day, she grew more comfortable and started to enjoy the affection she received.
By the third day, her tail wagged for the first time.
“She just started blooming each day, with love and trust and removing the fear,” Lisa said.
A month after her rescue, a family from Orange County expressed interest in adopting her.
“Usually the black Pitbulls are the toughest to be adopted but that’s what we had before. I was like, ‘No, that’s what I want!’, I said, ‘Give me the one that I knew would probably be in boarding for so long, not even find a foster.’ Yes, that’s what we wanted,” Shelly, Xena’s mom, told The Dodo.
Once Xena realized she could trust people, she transformed into a joyful, affectionate dog. Her new family took her on countless adventures and cherished every moment with her.
Xena, the warrior, was loved deeply until her final breath.
You can watch her story here: