Anyone who has lost a beloved pet would understand the sorrow the Hinshaw-Gratin family in Murrieta, California felt. They have been carrying a hole in their hearts after losing three beloved pets within a year.
Then last week, Dee Hinshaw-Gratin and her husband saw the story of Angel, a 1-and-a-half-year-old Siberian Husky and German Shepherd mix, on NBC Los Angeles, they felt an immediate connection.
“We looked at each other and said, “Yeah, we’re ready,” Hinshaw-Gratin recalled.
The family was heartbroken and motivated to bring Angel home after hearing her harrowing tale.
Angel had been under the care of the Mission Viejo Animal Services Center since she was found abandoned at Iglesia Park in Aliso Viejo at around 9 p.m. on Jan. 28. Officials said Angel was tied to a tree with her seven puppies in a box next to her.
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“Can you imagine what happened to her? Tied to a tree at a park with her puppies. No food or water with her puppies, so she couldn't even feed her puppies,” Hinshaw-Gratin said.
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Mission Viejo officials said just hours after NBC Los Angeles aired and published Angel’s story, there was a “surge” in adoption applications. But they decided not to look far and go with the Hinshaw-Gratin family, moved by their love of animals.
“The family members believed Angel would be their beacon of hope,” Kelly Tokarski, a public information specialist with the city of Mission Viejo, said in a statement. “This sweet young pup found her forever home with the caring family, residing on a spacious property, surrounded by love for the rest of her days.”
Tokarski also credited the Mission Viejo Animal Services Center’s nonprofit, DAWG, for saving Angel and her seven puppies.
Hinshaw-Gratin said she feels the family is complete once again.
“You’re a true angel girl,” Hinshaw-Gratin told the pup. “We lucked out, didn’t we?”
