Amanda Salerno moved to Southern California from Oklahoma a only few weeks ago. And she’s already cultivated a clique of good buddies.

“I never imagined I’d make friends in a ravine on the side of a freeway, but here we all are,” said Salerno, 27, a paramedic.

Responding to a call for action on social media, a dozen or so folks congregated at the Slater Avenue exit off the 405 Freeway in Fountain Valley. They were on an urgent rescue mission, alerted to abandoned Guinea pigs on Nextdoor and Facebook community pages.

Danielle Burkhardt plays with a guinea pig she helped rescue fro the side of a freeway in Fountain Valley, CA, on Friday, May 18, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

L.J. Dougherty plays with a guinea pig she helped rescue fro the side of a freeway in Fountain Valley, CA, on Friday, May 18, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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L.J. Dougherty plays with a guinea pig she helped rescue fro the side of a freeway in Fountain Valley, CA, on Friday, May 18, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A couple of male guinea pigs play at Bunny Bunch Adoption Center in Fountain Valley, CA, on Friday, May 18, 2018. The animals are two of 11 who were rescued from the side of a freeway. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Helen Escalle, left, Amanda Salerno, L.J. Dougherty helped rescue 11 guinea pigs from the side of a freeway with Caroline Charland, owner of Bunny Bunch Adoption Center in Fountain Valley, CA, on Friday, May 18, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)



Helen Escalle, left, Amanda Salerno, L.J. Dougherty helped rescue 11 guinea pigs from the side of a freeway with Caroline Charland, owner of Bunny Bunch Adoption Center in Fountain Valley, CA, on Friday, May 18, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A guinea pig peeks out of a playhouse at Bunny Bunch Adoption Center in Fountain Valley, CA, on Friday, May 18, 2018. The animal is one of 11 who were rescued from the side of a freeway. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Amanda Salerno plays with a guinea pig she helped rescue fro the side of a freeway in Fountain Valley, CA, on Friday, May 18, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Amanda Salerno plays with a guinea pig she helped rescue fro the side of a freeway in Fountain Valley, CA, on Friday, May 18, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A posse of Good Samaritans befriended one another while rescuing abandoned Guinea pigs in Fountain Valley. (Photo courtesy of Kathryn Rice)



Damoni Burkhardt, 16, tries to coax a Guinea pig out of the brush with a carrot. A posse of Good Samaritans befriended one another while rescuing eight abandoned Guinea pigs in Fountain Valley. (Photo courtesy of Kathryn Rice)

Amanda Salerno, who recently moved from Oklahoma to San Pedro, made new friends while rescuing abandoned Guinea pigs in Fountain Valley. (Photo courtesy of Kathryn Rice)

The messenger was Lisa Dougherty. While walking her Maltese Shih Tzu on a late afternoon two weeks ago, she spotted a passel of furry critters in the brush.

“I could tell they were domesticated,” Dougherty said. “They were too clean and groomed to be strays.”

Dougherty surveyed the area, but knew she could not capture the frightened Guinea pigs by herself – especially with a curious dog in tow. Also, she needed to get to her evening shift as a radiologic technologist.

“I thought, ‘I can’t just ignore the situation,’ so I got on my computer,” she said. “Immediately, I heard back from people: ‘We’ll help!’”

Among those to show up were Kathryn Rice, daughter Danielle Burkhardt and granddaughter Damoni Burkhardt.

“I was taking a nap and my mom said, ‘Wake up – we’re gonna catch Guinea pigs!’” Damoni, 16, recalled. “I was, like, ohhh kaaay.”

Equipped with crates and enticing veggies, the threesome met up with several neighbors who also saw the post.

Driving from her house in San Pedro, Salerno caught up with them an hour later.

“Amanda stopped in the middle of the road and yelled out her window, ‘Is this where the Guinea pigs are?’” Danielle Burkhardt, 37, remembered with a laugh.

For hours, the rescuers crawled around twisted thicket in pursuit of their prey.

“We didn’t know each other, so we communicated by saying things like, ‘Hey, person in the flannel shirt!’” Salerno said.

Assuming the reestablishment of a former homeless encampment on the site, a passerby telephoned police. The officers seemed amused by the real explanation, Rice said, and one even expressed interest in adopting a Guinea pig.

Before dark, the crew managed to encircle and capture seven Guinea pigs – with one still on the loose.

After she got off work at 11 p.m., Dougherty returned with a flashlight and a rudimentary trap she had fashioned out of a cardboard box, stick and long string. She begged the straggler to take the bait, but he declined.

The next day, half of the original Good Samaritans – Dougherty included, this time – managed to nab the escape artist.

Fountain Valley is home to Bunny Bunch, a shelter for small animals. Dougherty, who once bought products there for her now deceased rabbits, suggested it as a solution for what to do with the animals.

Bunny Bunch founder Caroline Charland said she hears about dumped Guinea pigs regularly.

“They are cute and cuddly pets, but sometimes people get them without realizing they are high maintenance,” Charland said.

Salerno quickly claimed “Slater” – named after its place of salvation – to join three Guinea pigs she already owns.

“My husband is in the military so we move around a lot,” she said. “Guinea pigs make sweet and portable pets.”

Rave reviews poured in when Dougherty posted photos of the happy ending on Nextdoor.

“You all have to feel really good about saving these little lives,” reads one commendation.

After a mini-reunion at Bunny Bunch, the new friends hugged each other good-bye.

“We’ll have a barbecue soon,” Danielle Burkhardt promised.

“Let me know when!” Salerno replied. “I’ll be there!”