When little pug Kenai went missing, many in the Ladera Ranch community joined the mission to reunite Hala Helstien, the local pet shop owner, with her 4-year-old fur baby, taking to social media to spread the word and plastering the town with flyers.
And when Helstien slept in the store with the doors open in case Kenai found his way back, residents stopped by at night to leave her food and share words of support.
Now Helstien is thanking the community for its support during the 11 days Kenai was missing, which she says were some the hardest in her life. Helstien, her family and members of the local community celebrated Kenai’s return home with a party Tuesday, April 18, at Hala’s Paws.
They celebrated Kenai being found alive and well on a trail by some hikers, nearly two weeks after he slipped out the door of the pet shop.
Lily Bennett, a local resident and regular customer at Hala’s Paws, said it was heartwarming to see the community band together to find the beloved pug. Bennett was among the neighbors who stopped by the store to show Helstien support.
“Everyone was looking for him. Ladera Ranch really came together,” Bennett said. “So many people were just rooting for her. I drove around, all my friends drove around. Everybody was looking for them, praying for them.”
Helstien rescued Kenai and his brother, Colter, when they were just 8 weeks old. Since then, the three have been inseparable. The two pugs would always join her in the pet store and had never run out before.
“This one day, I guess (Kenai) got spooked and took off running,” Helstien said. “And all these people, the whole town really just came to me and were helping spread the word and passing out flyers. I was just so grateful for everybody.”
Helstien even tried leaving her clothes in various trees for Kenai to smell and follow the trail to find his way back to his family.
Bennett said Helstien and her two pugs have become a big part of Ladera Ranch thanks to the…
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