When we see stray dogs on the street often we presume they’re lost or were rejected by their owners but for some dogs, living on the streets is all they know.
It’s a tough life for so many, whose natural instinct is to find a pack of dogs they can go around with. For Solo though he was too sick to keep up with the other strays on the street.
He’s lived on the streets of LA his entire life until one night he finds a woman’s porch to lay his head down, without realizing that his street life was about to end forever.
When the woman found the exhausted stray she named him “Solovino,” meaning “I came alone” in Spanish. After a few days of sleeping on this lady’s porch she decided to contact Rocket Dog Rescue of San Francisco, who had Solo flown out to the center.
Since then, Solo has been placed in numerous foster homes, and, each time, his owners would return him to the rescue center due to his health issues.
Nobody wanted him until, one day, Carol Messina saw Solo’s picture online and fell in love with the old dog.
Carol was a Star Wars fan and loved the fact that his name was Solo, the smuggler-turned-rebel-hero in the sci-fi classic.
“Then when I met him and saw how sad he was, I knew he was going to stay with me forever no matter what,” Messina told The Dodo.
Having lived on the streets of Los Angeles his entire life, Solo was scared, quiet, and shy when he first arrived at Messina’s home. “He kept his tail between his legs 24 hours a day, even when eating,” Messina told This Dog’s Life.
Messina discovered that sweet Solo had a hearing impairment which caused him to be anxious around people. Solo’s rotten teeth were also a source of constant pain.
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Messina started to adjust things in her home to make Solo more comfortable including switching on the lights before entering a room, she also got Solo’s teeth fixed. Once his dental issues were solved, Solo suddenly turned into a different dog.
Solo gradually became more comfortable in her home and is now a much happier dog thanks to Messina’s love and patience. He even has a new best friend, the neighbor’s dog named Bailey, whom he often visits.
Thank goodness for animal heroes like Messina who took a dog in that nobody else wanted. Solo’s senior years will now be so much happier in his loving forever home.
Please share this happy-ending story with all the animal lovers you know.
