“She just sat there, waiting for someone to notice her.”

While driving down a rural road in Kentucky, one driver spotted something that made them hit the brakes. There, tied to a broken tree near the edge of the pavement, was a tiny brown-and-white puppy—sitting quietly, as if waiting for someone to rescue her.

“She was just so stoic sitting there by the tree, waiting for someone to notice her,” said Kim Desroches of Friends of Lewis County Animals, in an interview with The Dodo. “We’re so grateful someone spotted her and called the shelter.”

The little puppy, who was later named Ladybird, was fragile and scared. Although a busy shelter isn’t ideal for a dog her age, it was the safest immediate option. When Desroches saw her picture online, she jumped into action.

“As soon as I saw her post, I started asking if any of my volunteers could foster her,” she said. “Shelters can be risky for puppies with underdeveloped immune systems. Thankfully, one of our team members stepped up right away.”

Ladybird was estimated to be just 6 or 7 weeks old. How she ended up tied to a tree like that remains a mystery—but everyone agrees it was a miracle she was found in time.

“She was a little nervous when the shelter picked her up,” Desroches said. “But once she settled in, her playful, happy side came out.”

Ladybird spent some time in a foster home before being transferred to the Licking County Humane Society, where she’s thriving and preparing to find her forever home.

Thanks to one driver’s sharp eye and the love of a dedicated rescue team, Ladybird’s future is now full of hope—and tail wags.