Picture this: concrete beds, gravel surroundings, a food bowl taken over by the bigger dogs, constant barking, and to top it off, a place where the temperature never dipped below 90 degrees.
That was the life of a little brown puppy who my heart broke for during the days I spent volunteering at AFAD in Merida, Mexico. The shelter was a God's grace for many of the strays in this small rural city, as many places in Mexico don't have enough support to facilitate a shelter, and even less for one that is completely volunteer-run.
I spent my days making the most of my time to give love to all of the dogs and cats there, but I couldn't take my eyes off of this 9-pound bony little girl who never seemed to get her turn to eat or drink.
She lived in a kennel with 8 other dogs, all of which had at least 30 pounds on her. She never barked, and when someone showed her attention, her wagging tail never left the area between her legs.
I was only in Merida for a week and a half, but something in me knew I had to do more than what the program intended. I started looking into the possibility of taking her home with me-- and to my surprise, it seemed rather doable.
I moved fast, gathering all of the paperwork, supplies, and getting this little girl her vaccinations to let her into the US.
Fast forward a couple of days, we were stepping on the plane towards a new chance at life for her. My parents were a bit thrown off, but they immediately took to loving her as much as I did.
Sadly, I was going to college in a few months, and neither of my parents would be able to care for her with their jobs-- and that's when my amazing aunt stepped in and said she'd adopt her.
Mila, Spanish for miracle, had found her forever home (and easily the best one out there any dog could dream of). Even better, she's only a 15-minute drive away for me.
After many health complications early on, she was finally on her feet, learning to enjoy the life every dog deserves. The vets said that if she had gone untreated, she would have had a max of 5 months left to live-- and she was only 4 months old.
Slowly, she started making improvements in every aspect of daily life. She no longer was afraid of stairs, in fact, she started to love racing up them.
She gained trust for humans and other dogs and adapted quite well to her new lifestyle of sleeping tucked into a queen size bed, along with my aunt and her other pets.
Mila's case is no short of a miracle, and if I could do it again, I'd use all of my graduation in an instant to save her.
Sadly, her prior life is a sad reality for many dogs not only in places like Mexico but in the United States as well. She has become the most loyal and loving dog against all odds and proves that shelter dogs really do make the best pets; they just need to be given a chance.
Not to mention, she can't stop smiling.
#AdoptDon'tShop