Michoacán, Mexico – Andrea and her partner had just left a friend’s house when a stray dog sat down in front of them. To their surprise, the trusting pup kept reaching out its paw as if asking for help.

In the corresponding video, you can see the male dog lift his paw over and over again.

Finally, the man kneels down to him and takes the paw in his hand.

"I went straight over to pet him, and he kept lifting his paw," Andrea told The Dodo. "As if he were 'talking' with his paw."

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Since the poor pooch was there alone around midnight on the side of a highway, Andrea said they "just couldn't bring ourselves to leave him there."

Then there’s a time jump.

At 12:30 AM, Andrea carries the four‑legged friend in her arms, looking bemused.

Next comes a photo of the dog sitting in Andrea’s car during the day.

No doubt about it: the couple has taken the furry companion in with them.

Little Julián, as he was soon named, was "incredibly sweet" and loved getting pet, even rolling onto his belly to show his faith in the couple.

However, little Julián turned out to have had a tragic reason for repeatedly raising his paw.

As a veterinarian discovered the next morning, the pup had an injury in the paw he kept offering his rescuers.

The poor doggo had repeatedly shown his paw to the couple for a very good reason!

Originally, Andrea and her boyfriend hadn’t even intended to keep the stray.

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But then, after spending a few days with him while his paw healed, they realized that they needed him in their life for keeps.

Now Julián is as happy as can be in his new forever home! He gets plenty of cuddles and yummy snacks with his favorite humans. Thank goodness he reached out for help that dark and lonely night.