As a dedicated dog rescuer and founder of Logan’s Legacy 29, Suzette Hall is used to receiving urgent messages about pups in need. But one request she received last week from her friend, Sandra Viveros Jackson, made her more frantic than most.

Viveros Jackson reported seeing a little dog with severely matted fur running aimlessly through a busy neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. With temperatures continuing to rise and nowhere for him to hide, the pup desperately needed help.

“[The] poor baby [was] covered in dreadlocks and carrying a heavy past of never knowing love,” Hall wrote on Facebook.

Time was of the essence, but Hall was already on a different rescue mission when Viveros Jackson first messaged her about the matted pup. That’s when a team of trusted volunteers and friends stepped in to help.

“Thankfully, my friends Nuñez Aky, Yamileth and Karla were able to go,” Hall wrote.

Viveros Jackson and the team scoured the neighborhood for the dog, but they couldn’t find him anywhere. Then, they saw a flash of white fur shifting beneath a nearby vehicle.

“After searching for a while, there he was under a car,” Hall wrote.

The team surrounded the car to ensure the pup couldn’t run away again. Then, after showering him with praises and encouragement, they secured a leash around his neck and gently pulled him out from under the car.

“Karla was able to leash him,” Hall wrote. “He was safe.”