A story like this takes the phrase “right place, right time” to an entirely new level.
Construction worker Sebastian Bushey of Clarkson, Washington, had just wrapped up his shift along the Grande Ronde River when something on the roadside caught his eye and forced him to stop.
What he discovered left him more than stunned.
The Cutest Ambush In The Heat
At first, Sebastian noticed only one tiny abandoned puppy lying by the road.
Seeing the little dog alone in a field during a brutal 105° heatwave was heartbreaking enough, but then the real surprise came.
“I was shocked to see one puppy out there, just one itself, but when I called the puppy up to me, six more came out of the bushes. I was in awe,” Sebastian told KLEW TV.
One after another, six additional puppies popped out of the brush, turning one stray into seven.
It almost looked like the first pup acted as a decoy, testing if it was safe, before the others revealed themselves.
Wanting to be thorough, a local rancher joined Sebastian to look for more dogs, maybe even a mother, but they found nothing.
“There’s not anyone around for miles, so they were obviously dumped by somebody,” Sebastian said.
The thought of anyone abandoning them in the wilderness to die clearly upset him. Even though he was still reeling from the shock, he immediately knew leaving them behind wasn’t an option.
“The puppies seemed very timid and nervous to come towards me… because the bush was the only shade they had around them,” said Sebastian.
Carefully, he gathered all seven pups, loaded them into his car, and headed home.
A Selfless Hero Steps Up
Since it isn’t every day that seven puppies leap out of the bushes, Sebastian recorded the moment.
He later posted it on Facebook with a note addressed to the person who cruelly abandoned the puppies. The video quickly went viral, and people across the globe praised Sebastian for his heroic actions.
The pups were clearly parched, so after giving them food and water, Sebastian transported them to Lewis Clark Animal Shelter, in Lewiston, Idaho, where they could receive the care they needed.
There, the staff treated them for dehydration, gave them flea treatments, spayed or neutered them, and provided their first vaccinations along with any other medical support before adoption.
“They have all been named words that mean ‘river,’ since I found them next to the Grande Ronde River,” Sebastian said.
Wanting to do more, he even created a Facebook donation page with help from a friend. The campaign raised thousands of dollars to support the shelter.
“Doesn’t take too long out of your day to do something nice. If you’re put in the right position, then you should do the right thing,” he said.
One of the puppies went home with his close friend, and the remaining six were adopted through the shelter.
Thanks to Sebastian’s compassion, not just one but seven little lives were saved.