When a stray puppy wandering the streets of Puerto Rico got caught in a three-week-long rainstorm, he found himself running out of options.
His search for somewhere warm and dry led him to the patio of a public school.
He sat there all alone, waiting for the rain to stop, when suddenly, someone at the school noticed him…
A Friend In Need
One look at the puppy was enough to melt their hearts and want to help.
It was his lucky day– they took him inside to dry off and warm up.
This lonely little puppy was beginning to think that his luck was about to change!
However, the school staff new this pup needed much more than they could give him.
So, they reached out to a woman named Julianna, a volunteer for a local rescue by the name of OBRA.
Juliana immediately reached out to Giselle Colón, OBRA’s founder, to help transport the poor boy.
“Julianna asked me for help, but she was the one who coordinated the transport from Loiza,” Giselle recalled.
Juliana’s heart melted when she saw the puppies cute little face.
So, she volunteered to foster him for a few days, taking him in and taking care of all his needs.
But, in those few days, Julianna discovered something surprising about little pooch.
Bound And Determined
The 6-week-old puppy, later named Clemente, only weighed 3.3 pounds!
Juliana was surprised by how he had managed to survive all alone for so long while being so tiny.
What he lacked in size, he made up for in survival skills.
“It surprised me he could survive all by himself because this is a puppy who cannot look for food and there were no other siblings or the mother around,” Giselle shared. “It is a miracle he is alive.”
Considering he had survived starvation and a week-long rainstorm in Puerto Rico, Clemente was surprisingly healthy.
“We can say he was in very good shape, except the fleas, ticks, and worms. But, besides that, he didn’t have any skin problems,” Giselle mentioned.
From the looks of it, Clemente seemed to have a guardian angel following him around.
His survival skills had been proven.
Clemente no longer needed to worry about surviving and could finally start experiencing the joys of puppyhood.
Getting Adjusted
While Clemente waited for his forever home to come along, he stayed in foster care, where he was trained and cared for.
His caregivers introduced him to the other rescue dogs and let him get used to the life of a pet.
He had been through so much, Giselle and Juliana expected it would take him time to adjust.
However, Clemente wasn’t done wowing his rescuers.
“He is very young, but he got trained really fast,” Giselle shared. “Clemente is very smart, and he proved that with how quickly he adjusted to his new life.”
Clemente loved his new life and was so happy to have so many new friends, both human and canine.
This personality of his eventually caught the eye of a potential adopter, and everyone had their fingers crossed that it would be a good fit.
Beginning Of A New Life
It had only been three weeks since Clemente had been rescued, but OBRA knew that this would be the perfect forever home for Clemente.
“Clemente was very lucky. He was very lucky he was able to travel in just three weeks after his rescue,” Giselle shared.
The adorable puppy now lives with his new human, John, in Brighton, Massachusetts.
He is surrounded with love and gets to enjoy life to its fullest.
“Clemente is very much loved… he is very spoiled,” Giselle said.
Clemente’s journey was full of surprises, most of them the good kind.
His willpower and determination helped him power through it all, and we couldn’t be happier about how far he has come.
Follow OBRA on instagram if you want to see even more of the special rescue work Giselle does in Puerto Rico.
Margaret Greene
Friday 4th of March 2022
I’m very grateful to everyone who took care of this puppy 🐾🐾❤️