“She would go up and scratch on the door like, ‘Let me in!’”

The minute Suzette Hall heard about a stray bichon mix going from porch to porch looking for shelter, she knew just how the dog felt. Recent floods in Hall’s Southern California neighborhood had forced the dog rescuer out of her house, and, just like the white, fluffy pup, she was desperately trying to find a new place to call home.

“I had been feeling so displaced that day, like I didn’t have anywhere to go,” Hall, founder of Logan’s Legacy dog rescue, told The Dodo. “And then I got the message about the dog.”

Neighbors first noticed the dog a few days prior, seemingly after her family left her in a nearby park. Southern California was experiencing devastating storms at the time, and, while the rain poured down, the scared pup stopped at every surrounding house in hopes of being saved.

“She would go up and scratch on the door like, ‘Let me in!’” Hall said. “Then, when no one answered, she would just sit there and shake.”

Before making her way over to the dog’s location, Hall posted about her online. She expected messages to pour in from people claiming to be the dog’s owners, as she typically would with white, fluffy dogs, but this time was different.

“We didn’t even get one,” Hall said. “Nobody was looking for her.”

As soon as Hall got to the neighborhood, she started to employ all her usual tactics for catching dogs. She set up a humane trap, threw some treats in the pup’s direction to lure her, then hid. She hoped the dog’s hunger would lead her straight into the trap, but, instead, her fear drove her away from it.

Defeated, Hall tried a more personal approach.

“She was too scared to go into the trap, so I sat there with her and talked to her,” Hall said. “I was telling her that I understood how she felt. I was saying, ‘I don’t have a home either right now.’”

To her surprise, the pup warmed up to Hall as soon as she started talking to her. The rescuer inched her way toward the dog as she spoke, and, eventually, she was close enough to touch her.

“I slowly made my way closer, then she let me start petting her,” Hall said. “That had me shocked.”

After a few loving pets, Hall gently placed a slip lead over the dog’s neck, then put her in the trap to transport her to the truck safely. As they drove away, the dog drifted off to sleep.

Hall brought the pup straight to the vet, who soon gave her a clean bill of health. The only thing that seemed to be bothering the pup was her matted fur, so they made a last-minute grooming appointment.

As she shaved away the pup’s knotted clumps, the groomer felt as though the dog looked like a Nicole, so she named her Nikki for short.

Before long, Nikki had a refreshing new haircut and was ready to go to her foster home, where she still is today.

The sweet pup is currently waiting for a forever family, but Hall has a feeling it won’t take long for someone to fall in love with her.

“She’s one of those dogs who everyone just loves instantly,” Hall said. “She’s so kind, and she doesn’t even bark!”

Hall hopes that the perfect family will find Nikki soon, but, until then, the rescuer and her team will continue to soak up all the love Nikki has to give.

“She is just the sweetest little dog,” Hall said. “Seriously, she is perfection.”

To inquire about adopting Nikki, reach out to Suzette Hall on Facebook.

To help pups like Nikki get the help they need, make a donation to Camino Pet Hospital under “Logan’s Legacy 29.”