They’d been fending for themselves for days 💔

They say that home is where the heart is, but for one matted pup in Los Angeles County, home was wherever her two best friends went. When the three dogs, all in their own states of neglect, were abandoned in an unfamiliar neighborhood earlier this month, they quickly realized they only had each other. So, for a few days, they huddled together under thick bushes for comfort.

Until, finally, an unsuspecting neighbor stumbled past the bushes and saw a fluffy white face looking up at her.

The two other dogs emerged from their hiding places moments later, and the concerned neighbor immediately dropped what she was doing to attempt to rescue them.

As she knelt to rescue the dogs, all but one ran away. The one who stayed behind, later named Lemondrop, looked like she wanted to bolt, too, but one of her legs seemed too injured for her to run.

The Good Samaritan scooped Lemondrop into her arms and rushed home to call for help. She reached out to Logan’s Legacy 29, and founder Suzette Hall immediately agreed to rescue the remaining two dogs. Hall’s trusted volunteer, Mary Nakiso, arrived in the neighborhood first and surveilled the dog’s movements while Hall raced to meet them.

“They were hiding in the bushes,” Hall wrote on Facebook. “[Then], they moved to hide under Mary’s car.”

Hall arrived shortly after Nakiso, and when she saw the dogs hiding under the volunteer’s car with an open crate nearby, she decided to make a move.

“I was able to sneak up behind the little girl and get her into the crate …” Hall wrote. “But the little boy went running for his life.”

The rescuers were thrilled to have two of the three dogs safe in their care, but they feared for the last dog, later named Kermit. They watched as he ran into a neighbor’s fenced-in yard and quickly followed behind him.

“The gate was locked, but I started yelling to the house because I knew someone was home,” Hall wrote. “The kind neighbor came out and let me in and I was able to get him safe into my arms. Poor baby had blood coming out of his mouth.”

Finally, all three pups were rescued from the street and were soon on their way to Hall’s trusted vet clinic for much-needed checkups. After being loaded up in the car with their siblings, it didn’t take long for the little family to settle in with each other.

“I could hear them snoring,” Hall wrote. “They knew they were safe.”

At the clinic, each pup received a thorough checkup and a warm bath, followed by a liberating haircut. Tudy Bloom, the dog rescued from under Nakiso’s car, changed completely after receiving her makeover.

“This sweet girl was so matted and dirty,” Hall wrote in a Facebook update. “But oh my goodness, when we shaved away her past, it was all smiles and gratefulness.”

Sadly, Lemondrop’s injured leg turned out to be a shattered kneecap beyond repair. The team ultimately decided to amputate her leg, which she quickly adjusted to.

Kermit, on the other hand, appeared to have lost his front row of teeth while living on the street, but he soon received pain medication and antibiotics to help treat the wound. Before long, both Kermit and Lemondrop overcame their injuries and blossomed into happy-go-lucky dogs.

Since their rescue, all three pups have gone to loving foster homes and have been enjoying life ever since. While they’re all still waiting for permanent families, the pups are thriving in their homes — and their rescuers couldn’t be happier for them.

“[It’s] another little miracle,” Hall wrote on Facebook.

To inquire about adopting Lemondrop, Tudy Bloom or Kermit, you can email Suzette Hall at [email protected].

To help dogs like Lemondrop, Tudy Bloom and Kermit get the care they need, you can donate to Logan’s Legacy 29 here.