Google Maps Dog Gets A Second Chance

Google Maps dog Sonya has been given a second chance at family life after Internet user Jennifer Velasquez spotted the abandoned canine while using Street View.

Velasquez contacted Los Angeles-based Hope for Paws right away, and let them know she had seen the dog near a vacant building.

Responding to the call, Eldad Hagar found that Sonya hadn’t moved from where she’d last been seen. Hagar approached the Google Maps dog cautiously, hoping not to spook her, though he did take a risk in filming the rescue effort.

Not long after Sonya took her first bites of cheeseburger, she realized that Hagar meant her no harm and decided to come out from underneath the parked truck where she was hiding.

Hagar named her shortly thereafter and was able to get Sonya on a leash and lead her away safely.

Sonya was then taken to a vet, who found the dog had “several tumours and arthritis,” according to the Metro report. She received medical treatment and was eventually taken in by a foster family.

According to YouTube user Kingpitty1, the dog’s new owner, Sonya was started “on new meds” and acupuncture. “She seems to be responding well to her first session.”

“The vet said if she were still on the street she probably wouldn’t be walking. Sonya is doing good and is happy as ever. Please send her good thoughts and we will take great care of her,” the owner said.

Here are some pics and the full video of the rescue. Get those hankies ready.

Unfortunately, Sonya is just one of several stories recently where a dog had to be rescued from dire conditions.

In July, Animal Control from Garrard County, Kentucky, were able to pull a missing pooch from a cave, while August brought the rescue of a number of pit bulls from a dog-fighting ring.

In the spirit of the Google Maps dog rescue, how far would you/have you gone to rescue an animal?

[Image via YouTube]