Anyone who has lost a beloved pet would understand the sorrow the Hinshaw-Gratin family in Murrieta 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.
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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.
“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.
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?”
