In the middle of a bustling outdoor market in Kuwait, life continued around her — but one dog lay still on the pavement, barely breathing and too weak to move.
What happened next, though, turned a moment of despair into a story of resilience and hope that’s now capturing hearts across the world.
When Elika Mansouri, founder of the rescue group I Care Kuwait, received a call about a dog lying motionless in the Friday Market, she didn’t hesitate. Even though she already had a full day, something in her instinct told her she couldn’t ignore this dog’s plight.
Arriving at the scene, she found the dog — later named Ella — stretched out in the exact spot where she had been seen before, not moving at all. At first glance, Elika worried the worst: that the dog had already passed away.
But as Elika got closer, she saw a tiny rise and fall of Ella’s chest. She was alive. That small breath was all the motivation Elika needed to act. When Ella recognized her rescuer, she suddenly found enough strength to slowly stand up — a moment Elika described as unforgettable.
With a combination of gentle encouragement and careful handling, Elika slipped a leash around Ella’s neck and led her into safety.
Shelters and rescues around the world often see dogs in bad shape, but what made Ella’s situation particularly heartbreaking was how she ended up there. Shopkeepers and locals told Elika that someone had tried to sell her, and when no one bought the dog, she was simply left on the ground.
It was a stark reminder of the everyday reality for street dogs in many places — discarded when convenient and forgotten once ignored.
Once she was out of that harsh environment and into care, Ella still faced challenges. The transition from living on the streets to being in a kennel was hard for her; she was overwhelmed by her surroundings and often tried to escape.
This reaction wasn’t surprising — for a dog who had known mainly fear and uncertainty, anything new could feel threatening.
Elika and the team knew they had to give Ella more than a temporary shelter; they needed a path to a forever life. In Kuwait, finding loving homes for rescue dogs can be difficult due to cultural attitudes and limited adoption structures.
That’s why the rescue made the decision to send Ella to Canada through a partner organization — a move that gave her the best chance of finding a family who could love and care for her long term.
Ella’s story resonates because it highlights both the grim reality of abandonment and the redemptive power of compassion. In just one moment — the second she saw the person who came to help her — something shifted.
Her legs, too weak before to even move, found the strength to carry her forward into a new chapter. That split-second decision to help didn’t just save her life — it gave her a future.
For many viewers, Ella’s first steps toward her rescuer were more than just physical. They were symbolic: a dog who might have been forgotten, ignored, or resigned to fate instead found the courage to stand, to trust, and to live again.
It’s a powerful reminder that even in the bleakest moments, animals are capable of remarkable resilience when someone chooses to stop, to care, and to act.
In the end, Ella’s journey from a motionless body on a market street to a dog moving toward hope reflects not only her internal strength but also the compassion of the people who refused to let her story end in silence.
