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By Rachael O'Connor
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A couple were preparing to go for a hike in sunny California when they made a very unexpected discovery: a new member of the family.
Andrea Lopez, 22, and her fiance, William Caballero, also 22, live in Sylmar, California, and became the overnight temporary owners of a Doberman pinscher dog, whom they found on a hiking trail park "all alone."
The canine, whom they have since named Millie, was discovered "shaking, dirty, hungry, thin, [and] not groomed at all," Lopez told Newsweek. "Our hearts broke for her."
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Lopez shared the moment they found Millie to her TikTok account, @dreaa.lopez, on October 12, where the post has been viewed more than 1.1 million times. Lopez wrote in the caption: "Didn't expect to find my dream dog this morning."
It began with Lopez and Caballero sitting in their car, when Millie walked right up to them and jumped up, putting her front paws against the window so she could get pets and attention.
Lopez wrote that it seemed to the couple as if Millie had been "abandoned," but clearly had so much love to give; the video quickly switched to her playing and running with Caballero as they waited around in case somebody was looking for her.
And when no one arrived, the couple brought Millie home—and to the park, and to the beach, and to the pet store for plenty of toys.
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Lopez told Newsweek they took the dog to the vet, but she didn't have a microchip, and, so far, their multiple social-media posts advertising the found dog have gone unanswered.
"She very quickly trusted my fiance and I," Lopez said. "She is the sweetest girl, no food aggression, kind to people, listens very well, loves to jump, loves to play, loves affection and will do anything for peanut butter!"
But while they love Millie, with four pets of their own already, the couple "cannot afford to keep her," and are now looking after her temporarily until she can find a good home.
"I think she deserves a bigger place, with a good family," Lopez said. "She is in really good hands with us for the moment, but we are looking to rehome her as we have done everything we could to find her owners.
"We are still open to the idea of her owners finding her. All we hope is that it ends in a happy ending for our foster baby" Lopez added.
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TikTok users were emotional, awarding the video over 281,000 likes, as one wrote: "Her face is so pure. What an angel baby."
"Awe sweet girl. She was blessed by you guys," another said, as a third shared: "That's how we got our 1-yr-old Doberman too. She'd been running the streets for about a week. They're so weird and so amazing."
Many commenters pleaded with Lopez to check her for a chip, worrying that she looked taken care of and could be someone's pet who escaped. Lopez later shared a video update explaining that no chip was found, that her nails appeared to have been broken rather than trimmed, and that she had been harboring fleas.
Around 5.8 million dogs and cats enter shelters across the United States each year, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). In 2024, around 2 million dogs were adopted, and 554,000 were reunited with their owners.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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