Alone on the streets of Bali, Indonesia, a small brown puppy sought shelter. He spotted a hole just big enough for him and crawled inside. It was the entrance to a drainpipe at the side of a busy road.
The dog, later named Charlie, hoped someone would notice her. Unfortunately, the makeshift home she had chosen was not helping her. Most cars were going too fast to notice Charlie’s hazel eyes sticking out from the sidewalk.
But soon his luck changed.
“I was at home working, and my boyfriend was on his way to the gym, leaving our neighborhood, when he saw her,” says Aubrey V Lynn, Charlie’s mother. “He kept walking past and knew he couldn’t leave her, so he turned around and texted me.”
Charlie’s plight filled Lynn with feelings of grief and inspiration – she was heartbroken that the dog was all alone, but she was ready to help.
Lynn and her partner didn’t want the pup accidentally dashing into traffic, so they knew rescue had to be done carefully.
“We both felt really anxious because sometimes she would come out of the hole,” Lynn said. “But she wouldn’t let us get close enough to catch her.”
The couple went to a local pet store, where they bought some dog food, hoping it might help lure Charlie out of the drain. Then they waited. For more than 24 hours, the puppy did not move.
“We sat around for hours trying to catch it,” Lynn said. “She didn’t want to come out, so we went to leave, getting back on our scooter, and she ran up to us.”
As if instantly soothed by a loving touch, the puppy, who had been so aloof, quickly relaxed.
“She calmed down immediately and didn’t try to run away,” says Lynn.
Lynn and her partner took Charlie home. They hadn’t wanted a dog, but it didn’t take long for them to realize they were falling in love.
“We never talked about it while we were trying to save her, because our goal was just to get her to safety, but I think we both knew at that point that she was part of our family. now,” Lynn said.
Although she didn’t spend a lot of time with people or in the safety of a home, Charlie adapted without a problem. It was like she knew she was home.
“Charlie has adapted very well,” Lynn said. “We let her sleep and eat safely for a while, then the first time we went to sit with her she was shy but warmed up so quickly. You could tell she just wanted to be loved – it was really adorable.”
As they run with Charlie in their garden and play catch, Lynn and her partner can’t help but marvel at how well Charlie has integrated into their lives. Unexpectedly, this family of two has become a family of three.
