Amanda Guarascio and Dylan Parkinson decided to try to rescue a stray and hungry dog at the Evans Creek campsite in Washington State.

Their rescue mission would require some patience and a lot of resourcefulness, but it all paid off in the end. Find out how the smart couple finally caught the homeless dog by making him feel sorry for them.

On Facebook, Amanda explained the circumstances that led to Baby Bear’s rescue:

“After hearing about him, Dylan and I drove over last night, and to our amazement, he was sitting in a tiny turn-off on the side of the road just where the girl said she had seen him,” Amanda wrote. “We spent an hour attempting to entice him with food, but it didn’t work.”

They departed and returned with a bag of hot dogs, sticking close to him all night. They left around 3 a.m. but returned the next day with a fresh strategy.

“I got down on the ground with my back to the pup, whom we have decided to call Bear (okay, Baby Bear), and gently began creeping backward towards where he was sleeping,” Amanda explained.

She appeared to be injured in order to get Baby Bear closer.

“I began whining and yawning (a soothing signal), and gradually moved closer and closer until I was resting on the adorable, tiny Baby Bear!” (At one point, he got up to attempt to locate our shelter since he saw me as a pitiful human girl with no survival abilities, and he took me under his wing!)

It was successful! Amanda was able to approach him and even pick him up!

“I had to transport him everywhere!” I had to pick him up, load him into the truck, and then we cuddled until we went to the vet. “I had to take him inside again—all 57 pounds of him!”

Baby Bear was brought to Useless Bay Sanctuary, where he was matched with a loving foster home.

He quickly found his forever home with a great family.

Because of Amanda and Dylan’s generosity, it’s a beautiful happy ending. They volunteered their time and efforts to save a life!