The dog — and so many other puppies — is finally safe.
By Sarah Ashley
Published on March 14, 2026 at 5:49 PM
When a Facebook message from a stranger landed in Alyssa Muse’s inbox, she had no idea it would lead her on a heartbreaking, yet miraculous rescue journey.
The message was from a woman in nearby Franklin, Louisiana, who’d found a terrified dog running along a residential street, dragging what looked like a sweatshirt from his paw.
As the woman detangled the dog’s paw, she noticed his emaciated body was covered in fleas.
Suddenly, the dog’s owner popped out of a nearby house and called out to the woman, telling her to take the dog home because they couldn’t afford to feed him.
Frantic, she messaged Muse, director of Aviary Creature Rescue in southern Louisiana.
“She was freaking out like, ‘Oh my gosh, I just found this baby on the road,’” Muse told The Dodo. “She’s like, ‘The owner walked outside while I was untangling her and said, “That’s my dog … I have two others if you want ’em.”‘ … So, that’s how it started.”
Concerned, Muse arranged for a trusted foster to pick up the other two dogs the following day.
“She took those two home, but then called me and said, ‘Hey, there’s more dogs there,’” Muse said.
Muse didn’t like the sound of that, so the next morning she went to the house with the foster to investigate.
“I always approach it with an open mindset of like, ‘Do they actually love these dogs? Can we maybe provide resources if they’re just struggling?’” Muse said. “I even told [the owner] about a pet food bank in the area.”
At first, the owner politely chatted with Muse and offered up three more dogs inside the home. All of them were scared and malnourished.
When tensions rose with the owner, and Muse spotted another emaciated dog running around, she called the Franklin Police Department for backup.
With help from the officers, Muse rescued the final two dogs from the home. In total, the owners surrendered eight frail and confused Chihuahua mixes.
“It was a mom, a dad and several litters from over the years,” Muse said. “We loaded them into our transport van, and I had no plan at that point.”
Muse reached out to her extensive foster and shelter network and, to her astonishment and relief, found a place for every dog.
During transport, Muse said all of the dogs were nervous or totally shut down, except one: the mama.
“The entire time, her tail was wagging,” Muse said. “She wanted treats from us, and she was just walking circles around the other ones, who were all just pretty much in a pile huddled together and shaking … Mom was like, ‘It’s fine. We’re fine.’”
Since their rescue almost two weeks ago, the dogs have slowly begun settling into their new environments.
Mama, now named Yodi, is soaking up all the love and attention she can possibly get at Big Easy Animal Rescue.
Others, like Winston, are still learning how to open up and trust the humans around them. Winston ended up at Metairie Humane Shelter, where he is being treated for parasites and spending time snuggling with blankets.
Jelly Bean and Cadbury are two shy boys currently living at Take Paws Rescue. A recent update on Facebook said that when Jelly Bean “feels safe, he melts into cuddles and quietly asks for affection.” Cadbury is “timid at first, but he leans into soft voices and gentle pets.”
“All of these rescues are either foster-based or … have really nice facilities,” Muse said, “and they’re all no-kill. So yeah, everyone is golden.”
If you are interested in adopting one of the rescued dogs, you can reach out to the shelters linked above, or to Forgotten Felines Rescue of Louisiana.
If you would like to support Alyssa Muse and Aviary Creature Rescue, you can donate here.