Most stray dogs are afraid of humans and try to avoid them at all costs. This makes it more difficult to rescue them. Fortunately, there are people out there who won’t give up on them, no matter what. This is what happened with one stray who had been living on the streets of a rural California town.

On the streets of California for over a year

Named Miles, the Great Pyrenees had been living on his own for over a year. Of course, people had tried to catch him to bring him to a safe environment, but he had evaded them every time. A rescuer named Megan had heard of Miles and was heartbroken by his story.

Miles had an ally on his side

Determined to rescue Miles, Megan set out to find him. Finding Miles was easy. Getting a leash on him was a whole thing altogether. According to the American Kennel Club, Great Pyrenees are immensely strong dogs and can quickly spring into action despite their outward calmness.

Getting a leash on Miles was difficult

As Miles leisurely laid on the grass, Megan approached him. Miles also looked tired and worn out. As she got closer, she promised herself that she would find Miles a home.

“There’s other stray dogs that would attack him and it gets to like 110 degrees sometimes,” Megan told The Dodo.

Of course, Miles wasn’t quite ready to be rescued.

Each time, he would let Megan get close and even feed him some cookies. But as soon as she attempted to put a leash on him, he would pull back.

Each time he would run away, Megan would drive around and find him. And each time she would give him some cookies and attempt to put a leash on him, he would pull away once again.

“I just did that for six or seven hours. It was just trying to get him and I couldn’t,” Megan said in a video. “I was just heartbroken because it was dark. I had to find help. I had to find a trapper.”

It was time to enlist the aid of a trapper.

Enlisting Danny Spanks from A SafeFurr Place Animal Rescue, the team set out to save Miles. Using hot dogs, Danny was able to lure Miles into a nearby dog park. With the help of Megan and her friend Courtney, Danny was finally able to get a leash on the elusive Miles.

Miles life was completely changed

“When he had the leash on, he was paralyzed. Now it was getting him to walk. You can see he’s so scared,” Megan said.

Miles was taken to a shelter to get help. Once at the shelter he was able to relax a little since he didn’t have to struggle to survive daily. From there he was put into a foster home and his life completely changed.

“He’s become a dog. He sits on his foster’s lap he’s interacting with other dogs, and he walks on his leash, he has a bed to sleep in. He smiles because he knows he’s safe,” Megan said.

You can watch the rescue of this gentle giant in the video below!

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Sources: YouTube – The Dodo, American Kennel Club