One scorching afternoon, Tania Cappelluti, drove along the streets of Osa Peninsula to look for a cream-colored stray dog that she saw several days earlier. Cappelluti is a member of the Charlie’s Angels Animal Rescue community in Costa Rica, and on this particular afternoon, she was with Olivia and Blendan. They never expected this to happen.
Their goal was to catch the shy and evasive dog and turn it over to an animal rescue facility where it could be properly taken care of, rehabilitated, and assisted in finding its forever home. Unfortunately, they could not find the dog. They didn’t leave empty-handed, though.
What they found – and rescued – was a very weak, black-colored female dog. The dog literally fell to her feet when she saw them, and she cried. The rescue workers gave the dog, now named Gaia, something to eat and drink. They observed how she desperately needed help.
She was not only very skinny and weak, but also covered with ticks and fleas.
In coordination with the Osa Peninsula Rescue & Adoptions, Gaia was brought to a community farm called Finca Morpho. There, the dog had a chance to be treated with kindness and given the attention she needed. Finca Morpho was only a temporary place for Guia, but it led to people who could help her find her permanent home.
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Through Finca Morpho, Gaia was transformed. From her weak and skinny self, she gained some weight and became a lot healthier. With proper care and nourishment, her fleas and ticks went away, too. Osa Peninsula Rescue & Adoptions and Cappelluti’s roles and acts of kindness may have ended there, but they made sure that someone took it up until Gaia finally made it home.
And make it home, Gaia did…
A kindhearted lady from Puerto Jimenez took Gaia into her home. As another family opens its home to a grateful stray dog, there’s one less number from the total population of animals suffering in total neglect and cruelty. This is a fitting end to Gaia’s story.
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It also marks the day when Gaia starts living a life. Not all stories end like this, though. Many stories end in a sad way, others sadder, and still others have a gruesome ending.
Networks like the Charlie’s Angels Animal Rescue, Osa Peninsula Rescue & Adoptions and community advocacies like Finca Morpho make it possible to reduce the high number of neglected animals. Individuals and families who adopt pets from animal shelters and half-way homes help in ending the possibility of dogs being euthanized.
Stories like this truly inspire. I hope, too, that they move people enough to make them want to become part of stories like this. Cappelluti didn’t do it alone, she had a chain and network of people to help her. You can do your part too.
Adopt a dog instead of buying a dog from pet store. Be part of animal rescue networks in your region. You may also start becoming more responsible for your own pets at home. Have them sterilized if you don’t have room for or are not ready to raise their offspring. And take good care of your dog so that he doesn’t think of escaping and becoming a stray like Gaia.
