When Bita Ghassemi set out for a quiet drive on a back road outside Austin, Texas, she didn’t expect to stumble upon anything unusual. She’d simply stopped to admire a few cows grazing nearby — until she noticed four tiny figures running toward her car.
“I was like, ‘What’s that in front of me?’” Ghassemi told The Dodo. “At first, I couldn’t tell — and then I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, I think those are puppies.’”
Sure enough, four little puppies bounded up to her, tails wagging, desperate for attention and relief. Ghassemi was stunned — and heartbroken.
“At first I thought maybe they belonged to someone nearby,” she said. “But when I asked around, no one recognized them.”
It quickly became clear the babies had been abandoned. They were overheated, thirsty, and painfully thin — their ribs clearly showing.
“They were hot and thirsty and hungry,” Ghassemi recalled. “I was like, ‘OK, these puppies clearly need help immediately.’”
She offered them water, which they eagerly lapped up, then carefully loaded all four into her car. For the first time in who knows how long, the puppies could finally rest.
Ghassemi drove them straight to a friend’s home in Austin, where she and three other animal lovers — Ellen Culver, Jane Hervey, and Nedda (who preferred not to share her last name) — teamed up to care for the pups.
Culver bathed them, Nedda offered temporary shelter, Hervey helped find adopters, and Ghassemi shared their story on TikTok to spread the word.
As the puppies relaxed, their unique personalities began to shine through.
- Honey, the only girl, was gentle and mellow.
- Walnut was shy but loved being cuddled.
- Tiger was talkative and affectionate.
- Finn was the little adventurer of the group.
Aside from being malnourished, the 4-month-old siblings were thankfully healthy. With nutritious meals and lots of love, they quickly bounced back.
Within just a few days, every single one of the puppies had been adopted into loving forever homes.
“It’s been incredible to see the outpouring of love,” Ghassemi said. “I really hope it inspires people not to drive past stray animals — to stop and help them too.”
Once left to fend for themselves on a lonely Texas road, four little lives are now safe, happy, and loved — all because one woman chose to stop and care.
