“My heart was theirs” ❤️
By Ashley Ortiz
Published on Oct 23, 2025 at 5:56 PM
TikTok user Jeanelle Kayy was driving through Long Beach, California, last month when a flash of black fur under a highway suddenly forced her to pull over. She was shocked to see not one wrinkly puppy dart out from beneath the overpass, but three.
“So, there’s these poor babies that got abandoned that are beautiful Shar-Peis,” Jeanelle said in a TikTok. “I just found them under the freeway …”
You can watch that video here:
Jeanelle couldn’t believe her eyes. How did three Shar-Pei puppies end up beneath a busy city highway? And how long had they been surviving on their own?
While it’s unclear exactly what led to the puppies being there, scattered piles of food suggested someone was looking out for them. Once Jeanelle posted her initial video of the pups, some commenters confirmed her suspicions.
“There has been people the past two weeks who have tried to grab the dogs, and it was impossible because one would run away,” Jeanelle said in a TikTok update. “And you have to remember, they’re under a freeway. You don’t want them running out into the street …”
After several failed attempts, concerned locals began leaving food out for the pups, hoping someone would eventually catch them. Weeks passed until Jeanelle spotted them, and her TikTok reached Logan Legacy 29’s founder, Suzette Hall.
As soon as Hall heard about the puppies, she rushed to the highway with all of her usual gear, including a couple of humane traps and some enticing food. She’d rescued hundreds of dogs in the past, but something about this trio of pups felt extra heartbreaking as she pulled up to the entrance ramp.
“Their sweet little smushy [Shar-Pei] faces, peeking out at me with those scared eyes — I was hooked,” Hall wrote on Facebook. “My heart was theirs.”
Hall set the traps with treats and waited for the dogs to be lured by the scent. But she quickly realized that, with piles of food still at their disposal, the dogs weren’t hungry enough to be enticed by her snacks.
She’d almost lost hope until another experienced rescuer showed up with a bigger trap. They waited with baited breath until, finally, the dogs stepped into the trap one at a time.
“Miraculously, it worked,” Hall wrote. “They were finally safe.”
As she drove to her local veterinary clinic with the dogs in tow, Hall felt overwhelmingly relieved that the pups were safe, and the dogs seemed so grateful to finally be inside a car instead of dodging them on the highway.
The trio soon arrived at the vet, where thorough medical evaluations confirmed that they’d been surviving under desperate conditions.
“These babies are fragile,” Hall wrote. “Their little eyes are infected, their skin needs care, and their spirits are still trembling with fear. They don’t yet know what it feels like to be loved — but they will.”
Thankfully, love was just around the corner for the sweet pups. After finishing their treatment plans, the three dogs, named Tuxedo, Coal and Pepper, went off to a shared foster home, where they’ve been thriving ever since.
You can watch the dogs playing in their new foster home here:
The three puppies are coming out of their shells more and more each day, as they learn to trust humans again. Hall is hopeful that they’ll find wonderful adoptive homes soon, preferably together. But until then, she is grateful to know that the dogs are in a warm house, receiving the love they’ve always deserved.
“These three miracles have now completed all of their vetting, they’re gaining weight, healing emotionally, and they are finally safe in foster care,” Hall wrote on Facebook. “No more roaring freeways. No more fear. No more running for their lives.”