Photos of Chihuahua 'Praying to Be Loved' Inspires Adoption
Pictures of Oliver were shared by the photographer on Facebook.
— -- A California shelter dog has been adopted, thanks to an adorable photo captured of him "praying" for love.
John Hwang, 41, of La Puente, California, said he snapped the picture of Oliver, a 2-year-old chihuahua on Jan. 11 as part of his hobby telling the stories of shelter animals through photos.
"Every time I tried to get up and move away from the kennel, he’d getting up on his hind legs and kept putting his paws together, as if he was begging me to help him," Hwang told ABC News. "He would just come right up to the fence and he would do it. I said 'I got to get a photo of that.' That can be his story."
Hwang, an occupational therapist, said he got wind of Oliver after a woman who adopted a shelter dog he had photographed shared news of Oliver's rescue.
"The chihuahua was running around on the street and was going to get hit by a car," Hwang said. "He was captured and brought to the shelter. I [went to the shelter] hoping I can take photos and tell the dog's story."
Hwang said he sat next to Oliver's kennel and spent some time with him to get acquainted before the photo session.
After feeding him treats, Hwang said that's when Oliver touched his paws together in a praying motion.
Hwang shared the photos on Facebook the same day, where they were shared over 2,600 times.
The Baldwin Park Animal Shelter in Baldwin Park, California, told ABC News that Oliver was brought into the shelter on Jan. 9 and was adopted five days later.
"I couldn’t believe the response," Hwang said. "I was getting people messaging me from all over this world asking about the dog. I'm just really happy that this brings more awareness and can change people's attitudes about the shelter animals."