Amanda Guarascio eventually won Baby Bear’s trust (Picture: Amanda Guarascio)

When Amanda Guarascio heard a lost dog – who was unapproachable and seriously malnourished – had been spotted at a remote nature spot near her home, she knew she had to try and help him.

Wasting no time, Amanda and her girlfriend Dylan Parkinson immediately drove to the spot where he’d last been seen, and were happy to find him straight away.

However the pup, who was in just as bad a state as they’d been told, was very nervous, and despite bribing him with food and staying there till 3am, they were unable to get close to him.

Baby Bear was very sick and malnourished when they found him (Picture: Amanda Guarascio)

Amanda and Dylan weren’t about give up that easily though. They returned the next night with more food, and a new plan.




Writing on the Lost & Found Pets Wa State Facebook page, Amanda explained: ‘Dylan suggested that I try getting out of the truck again since he had taken a liking to me. I got out and went behind the truck, and then fetalized on the gravel road right by the pup with my back to him.’

Amanda laid in the road and played dead to get his trust (Picture: Amanda Guarascio)

Incredibly, Amanda then spent the next few hours lying on the cold ground trying to gain the dog’s trust. She wrote, ‘It was cold. So cold!!! Cold enough that it started snowing.’

Lying very still at first, Amanda began slowly edging closer to the frightened dog (who they nicknamed Baby Bear) and gradually he began to relax around her.

Slowly but surely Baby Bear started to trust her (Picture: Amanda Guarascio)

And it worked. She explained: ‘Finally, I got right up next to Bear. He growled a little bit, so I started whimpering and yawning (which is a calming signal), and continued to slowly get closer and closer until I was rested up against the sweet little Baby Bear!’

In fact, at one point their roles even reversed and the sweet dog, who thought Amanda was in need, tried to help her. Amanda explained: ‘At one point, he got up to try to find us shelter because he saw me as a pathetic human girl that had no survival skills, he sort of took me under his wing!’

Day by day Baby Bear trusted Amanda more (Picture: Amanda Guarascio)

Although they’d made good progress, it wasn’t till the next evening that Amanda and Dylan were finally able to get Baby Bear into their truck and off to a vet for a check up.

Although this was obviously easier said than done, not least because Baby Bear was so scared that he refused to walk.

When he was rescued Baby Bear was so nervous he refused to walk (Picture: Amanda Guarascio)

Amanda wrote: ‘From 9 pm on I had to carry him everywhere! I had to pick him up and put him in the truck and then we snuggled together until we got to the vet..

Where again, I had to carry him inside…all 57lbs of him!’

And thankfully, the story has a happy ending. Baby Bear has now been adopted by a loving family, and is happier and healthier than ever.

Now, thankfully, Baby Bear is back to health and happier than ever (Picture: Facebook/ Lost and found pets WA state)

In another Facebook update, Amanda wrote: ‘His foster family has been doing an amazing job at getting him back to health. The difference is incredible!!’

She went on: ‘He is such a good boy and knows commands and is just a big giant cuddle bug.’

MORE: A little girl with no feet has adopted a very special puppy with no paw

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