Tania Cappelluti works in Costa Rica as a dog rescuer with Osa Peninsula Rescue and Adoptions. One day she was out working and she saw a cream colored dog that looked kind of like a Labrador, but it was very skinny. She had seen him several times, and she could not get him off of her mind so she stopped and gave him some water.
Unfortunately, he was too shy to come with her. Later, it was scorching outside, so she enlisted the help of two volunteers from her organization and together they combed the streets looking for the cream colored dog.
They searched and searched, but they never found him. Instead, they found a little black puppy. She was sitting on the side of a dirt road completely away from the rest of the town. Cappelluti and her volunteers got out of their vehicle, and the puppy started crying immediately as if she knew they were there to rescue her.
The pup was dehydrated and covered in fleas and dirt, but had a kind and loving heart. Cappelluti and her team were able to give her some food and water, even though she could barely stand. After she had her fill, the team loaded her up in their vehicle and took her to Finco Morpho, a temporary home for dogs like this one.
Her health quickly improved in her new home, and she was eventually adopted. She goes by the name Gaia now, and she lives in Puerto Jimenez. Gaia lives in a cool house where she will never have to worry about the heat again. Cappelluti says Gaia has even learned how to give high fives! Stories that have happy endings like these are the reason that Cappelluti and her volunteers do the work that they do. The cream colored dog may still be out there, but this little pup has a whole new life ahead of her.
As a dog rescuer, Cappelluti’s work will never be completely finished. She and her team continue to spend their days searching for dogs in need, and Cappelluti will always keep an eye out for the cream colored dog that first stole her heart and led her to Gaia.
