People Finally Saved Chained Dog … After Vultures Arrived

Being surrounded by vultures often has a disquieting effect on the living.

Something about waiting for you to die in order to pick at your bones, looming mortality, that sort of thing.

In classic scenes from not-so-classic movies, vultures are often seen circling overhead, etching their baleful message on black, inky wings.

Maybe this little dog seemed sad enough already, and the vultures figured they could dispense with all the theatrics.

In a photo that seems to be making the rounds on Facebook again, after being taken in late 2014, the dog is seen cowering inside a plastic house in Greensboro, North Carolina. She's chained, scared and surrounded by vultures. It's a timeless, haunting image of despair.

The birds darken her doorstep, perch on her roof and bristle in the trees above.

The saddest part? The dog doesn't kick all of their asses.

In fact, Guilford County Animal Control was called to the scene by a concerned neighbor, the Facebook post notes. The dog appeared too despondent to care.

The officer took the dog, an 8-month-old pit bull named Lilo, into custody to keep the vultures from hurting her.

But those birds, despite their ominous reputation, proved not to be harbingers of doom. Rather, the opposite. They brought tidings of a new life.

An animal control officer left a note on the door of Lilo's owner's house, the Greensboro News and Record reports. The owner called later and said the dog would soon be claimed.

But Lilo was never claimed. Last week, a local family began fostering her - and giving her the love and attention she so desperately needed.

Did the vultures know that by surrounding Lilo, it would eventually lead to her rescue? Or were they just, you know, being vultures?

We may never know the arcane workings of the vulture mind, but on this day, at least, we can give thanks to those strange, secretive birds for bringing help from above.