In the sweltering heat and with an unforgiving sun beating down on them, three tiny dogs were spotted doing the unthinkable. Curled up inside an old tire, the trio was desperately trying to escape the insanely hot weather that had been overtaking the Muscoy, Calif., area for much of the month.

The tire was no place for these dogs – but thankfully a driver, who had taken a wrong turn, spotted one of the dogs, a white terrier, the fur all matted. Quickly realizing how dangerous the situation was, the man reached out to Faith Easdale, a local dog rescuer with Dream Fetchers: Project Rescue.

A trio of dogs were found living inside a tire. Photo by Faith Easdale

“We do this all the time,” Easdale said, acknowledging the unfortunate frequency of such rescues in the area. “We see dogs dumped in underpasses, fields, canyons, freeways, you name it — and that area is one of the worst. Hardly anyone would go there or even see these dogs, and even if they had seen them, they would have kept on going,” Easdale said.

They just don’t care. It’s an everyday occurrence.”

She quickly mobilized a response, enlisting the help of Cassandra Aldridge, a friend in the area. Together, they arrived at the scene to find not one, but three dogs hiding in the tire. Each was lethargic and dehydrated, and in desperate need of help. With no time to spare, Aldridge made the decision to transport the dogs to safety by placing the tire, with the dogs still inside, into the back seat of her car. Once she met with Easdale, they began the process of transferring them into a crate.

“I stroked their heads and let them know that they were OK, and then I put [them] one by one in a crate,” Easdale said. “They just were so lethargic that they didn’t even want to run. But they were all so happy to be in that crate huddled together.” Finally safe, Easdale watched as a little black poodle, who appeared to have been recently pregnant, wrapped her paws around the white dog, and “held on to her for dear life.”

Despite their weakened state, the dogs displayed signs of relief upon escaping the oppressive heat. Upon arrival at a nearby veterinary hospital, the extent of the dogs’ ordeal became apparent. Infested with fleas and ticks, and missing patches of fur from incessant scratching, their condition was dire.

A freshly groomed dog. Photo by Faith Easdale

“Pirelli and Kumho were both lactating, meaning they were still producing milk for puppies that were hopefully old enough to be weaned; Michelin was shut down and protective and is opening up as the days go by,” reported Hedy Alison, office manager of Camino Pet Hospital. The dogs were each given names after different brands of tires, and were given baths, haircuts and fluids. “The girls are so loving and seem to feel like royalty with their new ’dos,” Alison said.

Michelin is still too proud to wiggle his tail but we can see the light coming back to his eyes.”

Despite their challenging journey, the dogs are on the road to recovery. “After they receive their vaccines and microchips, the bonded dogs will be ready to move to a foster home to recuperate before searching for their forever home,” Alison said. “The broken being mended takes time. These babies are worth it.” Watch below to see these poor pups transform into brand-new dogs.

Source: The Dodo