Eden has always been a gentle spirit. When she was sleeping under a tree as a stray dog and Good Samaritans stopped by to leave her food, she’d always greet them with a subtle tail wag.

Now that she’s waiting for a forever home in an animal hospital, she can’t help but reach her paw through her cage to hold hands with everyone who walks by.

Suzette Hall, founder of Logan’s Legacy dog rescue, isn’t sure exactly what caused Eden to start living under the tree in Southern California, but when the rescuer arrived to save her, she could tell she’d been there a long time.

“For weeks and weeks, she was under that tree,” Hall told The Dodo. “She wouldn’t leave.”

People visited Eden and left food under the tree for her, but nobody came to her rescue. So, as soon as Hall heard about a sweet dog in need of a home, she wasted no time in scooping her up.

Eden perked up as soon as she saw Hall.

“She knew she was getting help,” Hall said. “She knew it was her time to stop living under the tree.”

Hall brought Eden to the vet, where her new friends gave her a much-needed bath. The team soon realized that the dog had a painful skin condition and was severely underweight, so they began treating her right away. Before long, her personality started to blossom.

“She is the sweetest dog you could ever meet,” Hall said. “She’s just a lover.”

The vet team placed Eden in her own kennel, where she could rest and recover. At first, Eden spent the majority of her time curled up on her bed. But one day, someone at the hospital walked past her kennel and saw a single grey and white paw sticking through the bars.

They grabbed Eden’s paw and gave it a loving squeeze.

“She just wants to hold our hand,” Hall said. “She’ll hold your hand and then make the sweetest howl ever as if she’s saying, ‘I love you.’”

Ever since that moment, Eden’s been reaching out her paw to everyone who walks by. She’s gotten many handshakes since she’s been at the vet, but the sweet pup is still waiting to find that one special connection.

“We’re working on getting her into a forever home,” Hall said. “She deserves it more than anybody.”

Eden isn’t the most comfortable around other dogs, since she was fending for herself outside for a long time. Her friends at the hospital are helping her overcome her nervousness by taking her on walks with dog trainers, but it’s going to take a lot of work for the pup to feel more confident. So, Hall’s looking for a forever home where Eden would be the only dog.

Even though it’s taking longer to find the perfect match for her, Hall knows that the right family will fall head-over-heels for Eden soon. As the rescuer sees it, it’s impossible not to.

“Everyone falls in love with her,” Hall said. “She’s just a cuddler and a total sweetheart.”

For now, Eden will keep spreading the love at the animal hospital one handshake at a time. Some might say she’s asking for attention, but Hall believes she’s saying something else.

“It’s like she’s telling everybody, ‘Thank you,’” Hall said. “‘Thank you for noticing me.’”