Megan Mannarelli-Martin and her husband hadn’t been on a vacation in a long time, but they finally found the time to do so recently.
It’s difficult to distance oneself from the couple’s Rafiki’s Rescue, a special needs rescue. To make it work, they even brought three of their rescue cats along.
They were eager to unwind and recharge and set out on a road trip with the cats settled in and the car packed.
However, they discovered an abandoned dog running in the middle of a very busy road four hours into their vacation, indicating that rescue work follows them everywhere.
They were far from anywhere at that point in the journey, so it seemed very likely that the dog, who was later given the name Kevin, had been abandoned.
They immediately entered rescue mode because they were aware that they couldn’t just leave her there.
Mannarelli-Martin stated to The Dodo, “Kevin was terrified when we saw her, but was very interested in being rescued.” Gaining her trust took an hour.
If it would cause her to run back into the middle of the road and become even more terrified, I could not pursue her.
As a result, I sat in the middle of the road divider and let her approach me for an hour before I felt confident enough to capture her.
They put her in the car and checked for a microchip after Kevin was safe. They checked local online forums and contacted local shelters to see if she had a family out there looking for her because she did not have one.
They came to the conclusion that taking her on vacation was the best course of action in the interim.
After making a stop to get everything they’d need to take care of her, they moved on.
Kevin was understandably scared, but the more time she spent with her rescuers, the more relaxed she became, and within a short period of time, she had transformed into the most adorable and exuberant little dog.
Mannarelli-Martin stated, “She settled in remarkably quickly given the circumstances.” That first night, she was extremely terrified but also evidently thankful to be safe.
When she saw us the third night, she was ecstatic and jumping up and down.
Kevin didn’t seem to be bothered by the transition from being afraid for her life in the middle of the road to exploring Sequoia National Park with some strangers and their rescue cats.
She couldn’t have been happier to be included. She adored each and every stop on the road trip, especially as time passed and she relaxed even more.
The couple couldn’t believe how wonderful she was after everything she had been through. It seemed like they were destined to locate her.
Mannarelli-Martin stated, “Kevin is a super lovebug.” She just wants to be loved and cuddled because she is so happy. Kevin has now settled into her foster home after the road trip was over.
She is doing extremely well and enjoys playing with both cats and dogs, her foster siblings. Unless she becomes a foster failure, she will soon be ready to find her forever home.
Mannarelli-Martin stated, “She will be up for adoption in the next couple of weeks after her last vaccines — that is if I can give her up.”
We have a strong bond. For a few days, Megan Mannarelli-Martin and her husband had been attempting to get away from rescue work. Instead, they ended up at the right time and place to alter Kevin’s life.