One of the most heartbreaking sights on the street is a stray dog digging through trash in hopes of finding just enough to eat.
Dogs living this way face constant struggles. Many are left hungry because they simply cannot find enough food to survive.
To make things worse, people often aren’t kind to them, which means these animals rarely have someone to rely on for help.
This particular dog had been surviving by sneaking scraps from a Starbucks and scavenging whatever else she could. Even more concerning, she was in Grand Canyon Village, Arizona, where food and shelter options were extremely limited.
Thankfully, her story began to change when she crossed paths with someone who cared deeply.
A Glimpse Of Hope
When Zach Lacher first spotted the stray near Starbucks, he was struck by how frail and neglected she looked.
He told The Dodo: “When she got closer, I was able to see how rough of shape her fur was in.“
Zach started asking locals about her and discovered that officials had already tried to capture her before but failed.
That confirmed she had been struggling in the area for quite some time and had learned to be cautious around anyone who came too close.
Zach felt he couldn’t just walk away. That same evening, he came back hoping to find her again. To his surprise, she returned.
The challenge was that she refused to let anyone near. On top of that, she was often pushed away by a group of other strays that lived nearby.
The following day, Zach brought a humane trap in an attempt to rescue her, but she didn’t appear.
He knew she stayed close to the canyon, so he decided to take a different approach. He explained: “So we put the drone up in the air, and we flew it down. I was probably flying it for about an hour, and I was checking the nooks and crannies, and I saw her big, puffy, white tail.”
A Second Chance For Haseya
After spotting her from above, the question was how to actually get her. Then something unexpected happened: she began following the drone back.
Zach couldn’t explain why she chose to do it, but he was beyond grateful. With the help of food, they were finally able to guide her toward safety.
Hunger pushed her to stay close to the trap, and although she hesitated at first, she eventually walked inside.
Zach then carefully shut the door, making sure not to startle her.
Surprisingly, she didn’t panic. Instead, she appeared calm, almost as if she realized that she was finally safe.
Zach named her Haseya and brought her into his home. Since he already had a cat named Jack, he wondered how they might react to each other.
He said: “And I was so ecstatic and pleasantly surprised when the first time they met, rubbing their faces against each other and playing.”
Any worries quickly vanished, as the two animals became inseparable. Haseya showed an incredible amount of kindness and affection despite her rough past.
After all the struggles she faced just trying to stay alive, she now had a loving home and the peaceful life she had always deserved.