I met Canelo a year ago at a rescue in Bucerias, Mexico; he had been run over 3 times, head crushed, close to dying, but miraculously, he was rescued off the streets. The accidents left him paralyzed and incontinent but his spirit was not broken. We spent a day at this rescue meeting with 100+ dogs and many were wonderful, cute, and very adoptable. But of all the dogs, my daughter and I saw something very special in Canelo and we were determined to help him find a forever home. We did a few posts on social media then, but were not able to find a home, or a foster who could accommodate him. So, we had to leave him behind at the rescue but we told him we’ll be back.
I visited him again this past December and my heart broke. He was still Canelo but something was different; his spirit was not as bright and I could tell he was losing hope. I left that trip telling myself that Canelo was a priority. He needed a home. A family.
Street Dog Hero reached out to special needs rescues around the region and found one in Vancouver, WA that was interested in helping him, but had no space for him at the time. I knew I had to reach out to this rescue to convince them otherwise. I flooded them with emails, voice mails, and texts about how wonderful Canelo is and what we can do together to help him find a forever home. I think I wore them down and they were starting to move him higher on their list of dogs to help.
Long story short, we visited Canelo again in Mexico this week and talked about him in another video. An hour after it was broadcasted, the Vancouver rescue said they not only want to bring him to their rescue but to adopt him to their family. BEST NEWS EVER! He no longer has to watch other dogs come and go while he sat dreaming of his turn, and my promise to him was coming true – this boy is going to leave and be loved by a family.
Canelo finally gets his chance. He flies to Portland this Monday and will meet his family. More to come as we will share every step leading up to his arrival and happy tails.
A big thanks to @adogsnewlife who helped care for Canelo the last 2 years, and to @angelswithmisplacedwings, for bringing him into their family.
Marianne Cox, founder of SDH