The Man Who Helped the Loyal Lab Ended Up Adopting Her

A good Samaritan who protected a of a dog that had been killed by a hit-and-run driver on a busy La Puente street is expected to today.

The black Labrador -- named Grace by workers at the Baldwin Park Animal Care Center -- will be spayed and then released to the man who saw her standing guard on a busy La Puente street last week, said Evelina Villa of the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control.

The man, whose name has not been released, spotted the dog on Hacienda Boulevard and placed traffic cones on the street around it and the fatally injured yellow Labrador. He called animal control workers, then took photos and video.  

The black Labrador had no identification tag and no microchip to identify its owner. As of today, it had not been claimed.

Animal control workers retrieved the dead dog and the black Labrador, then circulated the photos and video to news media, and the story garnered international attention.

"She's a rock star," Aaron Reyes, also of the county Department of Animal Care and Control, said in broadcast interviews this morning. "You know what I think makes her so famous is just her display of compassion and loyalty. She sat there with her buddy..."

Villa said that if the good Samaritan somehow ended up not adopting Grace, there are five other people who have indicated they want to do so. She also noted that Grace is not the only animal that needs a home.

"We want to emphasize that our animal-care centers have a wonderful selection of pets available for adoption," Villa said.