On a road trip with her dog and husband, Leilani Wong, and the family stops at a gas station in Stockton, California. While her husband was filling up the gas tank, Wong noticed a happy-go-lucky pup sniffing around their car, smiling all the time.

In an interview, Wong had this to say about their visitor: “I saw her walking around the gas station, and she stopped in front of our car and was just staring at me. And I’m hitting my hand on the window, trying to get my husband’s attention, like, ‘Are you seeing this?’ Then she started following my husband around the car.” As the temperature outside was 105 degrees, the poor dog was panting heavily.

Seeing the poor dog thirsty and hot, the woman asked around whether the dog had an owner. From what she gathered, many people had been dumping unwanted animals at the gas station. As the dog wouldn’t stop following the woman, she gave him food and water. The pup was extremely grateful for the tiny act of kindness by the woman, and Wong understood that the pup was homeless, or severely neglected.

The couple named the pup Kaia, and took her along for the ride on their road trip, just until they were able to find a rescue or shelter that was willing to take her. Wong also went on to say: “My husband slept in the car with her the first night, and she was just scared, nervous and timid. The only thing she would do was eat.” However, whatever said and done, when they got back home to Washington, Kaia was so in love, and attached to her human parents, and Wong says: “She’s like a little magnet.”

To get Kaia ready for adoption, Wong took her to the vet to get a full work up and the start the necessary vaccinations. However, since the pup was getting along extremely well with the other dogs that Wong had, they couple didn’t want to give her up. Several months later, when she was offered a bone or a treat, Kaia still didn’t understand how to play with them. Whatever said and done, every new day, Kaia has started to open up and showing Wong what an energetic and loving pup she can be.

Finally, Wong adds: “Her personality at first was very timid, scared, unsure of herself and not confident. But her personality now is lovey, snuggly, cuddly, attached at your hip. You can’t even go into another room because she’s there with you. I tell people she’s the best dog I’ve ever had.”