Mona Ahmed, volunteer photographer for a Fresno, CA. animal shelter, is a well-known face around the rescue organizations in her town. She makes weekly trips to the local shelters, looking for dogs designated to be euthanized and tries to get them relocated before their time is up by posting their photos online.
One day last month, she walked into the shelter and found two dogs in the same kennel. The large, yellow dog was missing a paw, lying on the floor with the little, black Chihuahua-mix cuddled up on top of him. Their names were Oscar and Felix, respectively. “My heart just melted to see the love they have for each other,” Ahmed said.
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To her horror, she discovered that the two were to be euthanized that very day at 5:00. She begged the shelter employees to give her a day to find them a new location, and they reluctantly agreed. I say reluctantly, not because they wanted to kill these dogs, but because both dogs were sick with kennel cough, which is highly contagious. The staff couldn't afford to risk the health of the other dogs at the shelter, so it was very important to remove them soon.
Ahmed frantically began calling her contacts, looking for someone who could take them in. She immediately contacted Compassion Without Borders, an international rescue that takes in dogs from Mexico as well as the U.S. Fortunately, they just happened to be in Fresco that day picking up some other dogs.
Christi Camblor, cofounder of Compassion Without Borders (CWOB), said that they almost never take dogs in sight unseen. But seeing the picture Ahmed sent her, she decided to send volunteers down to see if the dogs were friendly. Since they were, CWOB's rescue in Santa Rosa, Muttopia, agreed to shelter them.
Despite their constant coughing, Felix and Oscar were ecstatic to be together and out of the kennel. “They hopped out of the car and were instantly wagging their tails,” Camblor said. “They were both so friendly and sweet.”
Muttopia continues to take care of the pair for a few more weeks, so they can recover from kennel cough and both can be neutered. In addition, Camblor intends to get a prosthetic for Oscar's leg. After that, they'll be ready to be rehomed. Camblor hopes that they go together to a home in Northern California. Ahmed is thrilled that CWOB stepped in and agreed to help these desperate dogs. "They are my angels for taking them, and I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart," Ahmed said.
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Can you believe the smile on Oscar's face? He looks like the happiest dog on earth, doesn't he? There's a secret to teaching a shelter dog to smile like that. First, you take him home... Share this happy story with your friends!