“I could not believe my eyes …”
By Lily Feinn
Published on Oct 2, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Steve Lamplough is used to being surrounded by nature. His home outside Portland, Australia, sits on 5 acres of land, where his dogs love to run and play. They regularly see wildlife passing through, especially koalas who come to eat leaves from the massive manna gum tree in his garden, and they always keep a respectful distance.
But last week, Lamplough witnessed something he’d never seen before.
When barking drew him outside, Lamplough called for his dogs. Denni, his 9-year-old golden retriever, came running — proudly carrying a surprise on her back: a koala joey clinging to her fur.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes at first, and then I thought, ‘How the heck am I going to get it off her?’” Lamplough told The Dodo. “It was so funny watching her run, as the koala looked like a jockey bobbing up and down.”
Denni, whom Lamplough describes as “very friendly” and “affectionate,” has a strong maternal instinct. While koalas often wander through the property, she has never gotten this close before. “The dogs are usually intrigued when koalas pass by, but this is the first time anything like this has happened,” he said.
Lamplough guesses the baby might have either fallen off her mother or was off exploring when Denni came to check on her. Looking for warmth and comfort, the little joey may have mistaken the golden retriever for her mom.
“Both the baby and Denni did not look stressed and actually appeared to be enjoying each other’s company,” Lamplough said. “Denni was very excited to show me and seemed to have a chuffed look on her face.”
Koala joeys spend the first six months of their lives in their mother’s pouch, after which they begin to explore the world outside by riding on their mother’s back until they are about a year old. With breeding season running from August to February, koalas are on the move — especially around the town of Portland, where koalas enjoy the surrounding bushland and blue gum plantations.
Lamplough knew he had to separate the joey from his pup as quickly as possible. He only hoped he could break the joey’s strong grip without upsetting either animal.
“I told Denni to sit and walked behind them and put my hands under the koala’s underarms and pushed outwards so the claws became loose,” Lamplough said. “I then walked over to a tree, and after I released it, it climbed up the tree. I went back after 15 minutes, and the mum must have heard it and was up the tree with it.”
Lamplough was thrilled to see Mom and baby together again after the little one’s big adventure. And it was clear the joey picked the sweetest pup to be her babysitter. He posted the touching moment on Facebook, where it’s received a warm response.
“Having seen this interaction happen has been a unique experience and has now been also appreciated by many people around the world,” Lamplough said.
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Woman Drops Everything For Clump Of Fur In Home Depot Parking Lot
“He didn’t know anything but loneliness” 💔
By Ashley Ortiz
Pulling into the Home Depot shopping center in Compton, California, earlier this month, Suzette Hall had her eyes peeled for someone she heard needed help. She drove through the parking lot slowly until she came upon a shaggy, nearly unrecognizable animal.
The animal, covered in dirty, matted fur, could barely muster the energy to lift his head as Hall approached. Passersby had reportedly ignored him for six months, and as Hall pulled up next to him, he sadly assumed she’d do the same.
But as the founder and director of Logan’s Legacy 29, Hall refused to overlook the sweet boy. She approached the matted pup and slowly began the difficult task of trying to earn his trust.
“He was so let down and neglected,” Hall told The Dodo. “He didn’t know anything but loneliness.”
The dog, later named Oreo, was hard to win over. He was incredibly skittish of humans, which Hall later learned was a result of people chasing him around the parking lot. But she refused to give up hope, even after he ran from her and hid.
She couldn’t find him again that night, but she promised to return every day until she had him safe in her care.
“[F]or over a week, we have been trying to rescue this baby, up at 2 a.m. almost every day and staying late at night,” Hall wrote on Facebook.
Hall recruited the help of her dedicated volunteers and attempted to talk to the local security guard, who seemed to be the only person Oreo trusted. Sadly, the security guard refused to help Hall’s team — but that didn’t stop their rescue efforts.
“We weren’t giving up, [a] storm [was] coming, and I just couldn’t fathom him being out there in another storm,” Hall wrote. “But we knew a trap wasn’t gonna work. Someone had to gain his trust.”
Hall and her volunteers returned one afternoon at the perfect time — Oreo was fast asleep and unaware he had visitors. Two volunteers, Yamileth and Karla, quietly snuck up on the pup and, within seconds, deployed their last-ditch plan.
“They scooped him up with a blanket,” Hall said. “[It was] just another miracle.”
Finally, Oreo was off the street and in the arms of people who desperately wanted to save him. Hall drove him straight to the vet clinic, where he underwent a full checkup and, later, a shocking makeover.
“Under all the dreadlocks, the painful matting, a beautiful little boy appears,” Hall wrote on Facebook. “His horrible past [is] behind him, and a new [hope] begins. I just know he feels amazing.”
With all his knotted, soiled fur shaved away, Oreo looked brand new. And, having finally felt loved for the first time, his spirit was instantly restored.
“Rescuing him gave him hope, and it renewed my hope, too,” Hall said.
It’s been over a week since his rescue, and Oreo has thrived. He’s since settled into his new foster home and is patiently waiting for a forever family to come his way. Until then, he’ll keep enjoying his newfound life as a beloved dog and thanking his rescuers for never giving up on him.
“I can’t wait for him to know what love really is,” Hall said.
If you’d like to help pups like Oreo get the care they need, you can donate to Logan’s Legacy 29 here.
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