While dropping off cat food at a community center in Washington Park, Illinois, Jill Henke noticed a stray dog watching her from across a field. A volunteer explained that the dog had been showing up for scraps of food.
Henke, operations director for Gateway Pet Guardians, was moved by the dog’s thin, dirty appearance but couldn’t get close — the pup was too scared. Local shelters were full, so Henke kept looking out for the dog, later named Bon Bon.
Eventually, a call came in about a dog living in an abandoned house. On their second visit, rescuers found Bon Bon sleeping on a dirty couch. She was still fearful, but after some gentle coaxing, they brought her to safety.
“She was in survival mode,” said Gateway’s executive director. “She’d been alone for so long.”