When her owners dropped her off at the Inland Valley Humane Society in California, the 3-year-old pit bull appeared to be absolutely heartbroken.

“There seemed to be no reason,” Tiffany Tan, the founder of JL Rescue, and the person who helped save Electra’s life, told The Dodo. “She hadn’t bitten anybody. They just took her to the shelter.”

“She was just so sad,” Tan added. “I really believe that sometimes they realize they’ve been left, and they give up.”

Electra may have felt hopeless and desperate inside her concrete kennel, but there was an upside to her dilemma — her sad-faced photograph was quickly shared across Facebook, which helped her find a new home. Tan first saw the picture on Next Door, a private social network.

“Someone I know had posted her picture from Facebook on [Next Door],” Tan said. “I couldn’t stand it. I was like, ‘Oh my god, we’ve got to go get this dog.’”

Tan knew she had to work quickly to save Electra’s life.

Luckily for Electra, everything worked out. Tan’s friend, Adriane Silvano, offered to foster her, and another volunteer from JL Rescue went to pick up Electra from the shelter.

Electra couldn’t be happier. Or more relieved. Tan, who’s been rescuing dogs for over seven years, was amazed by Electra’s transformation.

“She became a completely different dog,” Tan said. “She was happy, she was on the couch, she wanted to snuggle. She was just the sweetest thing ever.”

“If you look at the ‘before’ picture and the pictures from today, it does not look like the same dog,” Tan added.

And what started out as Electra’s foster home ended up becoming her forever home.

“My friend was going to foster her, but she fell in love with her, so she’s adopting her,” Tan said. “She’s an amazing dog. She is sweet and loving and there’s no aggression whatsoever. She’s very well-mannered. She loves other dogs. She loves kids. She’s great.”

While Electra has found her happy ending, there are plenty of dogs who still need homes. To learn about some of them, visit JL Rescue’s website or Instagram page.
Rescued pit bull cuddling on bed