Category: Adoption

A little brown dog’s story is breaking hearts after a local rescue in Fresno, California shares his story of loyalty and heartbreak.

According to YourCentralValley, Mel Garcia, owner of the local rescue Mel’s Mutts, heard of Canelo the dog’s story before being able to rescue her.

She tells the news outlet that she heard about Canelo because she often receives emails and messages from other shelters about dogs who are at risk or have issues.

“[Canelo] was found in a car with his owner, his deceased owner.” Garcia reveals.

Garcia further explains the little brown dog’s backstory. According to her, Canelo’s owner was an unhoused, undocumented immigrant known to park his van outside an auto parts store in Fresno.

One day, the workers at the store noticed that the van hadn’t moved all day. They then decided to call for a wellness check.

When the police arrived, they found that the man, Canelo’s owner, has passed away, with Canelo by his side.

Garcia said, “He was, not very friendly. He was trying to bite everybody.”

@mellsmutts 😔 This is Canelo…. he was found in a car protecting his owner who had died. I truly wish I could take all of his sadness away. I spent all day making calls, and messaging people, police, even the business that called in the welfare check when the owner died. I found out Canelo was truly loved by his elderly owner and I promise I will do my best to help Canelo the way I would want someone to help my dogs if the same thing happened to me 😔 #mellsmutts #canelo #heartbroken #dogsarebetterthanhumans #dogslove #FaithfulToTheEnd #dogrescue #ilovemydog #Fresno #RIP #heartbroken #granvillehomeofhope #igotyou ♬ Sad Music – Max-Music

“It wasn’t until we actually got him to our vet’s office that we saw how shut down he was and how very scared he was,” Garcia reveals.

Further tests reveals that Canelo was in visible shock and devastation over his owner’s death.

But Garcia also reveals that despite his owner’s living condition, Canelo was healthy and was clearly given the attention and care he needed.

“The owner has to have been a kind person that cared for him, to have had him for so long,” Garcia said. “For somebody to go and reclaim their dog, microchip them and all that, they cared for him.”

According to Garcia, Canelo’s owner suffered from a heart attack. But the heartbreak for little Canelo didn’t end there.

Garcia said that Canelo’s owner didn’t have any next of kin, which left the little dog all alone.

After the dog had some time to decompress, his loveable attitude is finally showing. Now, Garcia, with Mel’s Mutts, is working to get him fixed and decompress a little more.

After that, Garcia will soon be placing Canelo up for adoption so he can have his forever home.

“We don’t know how long he was unhoused, but he kept his dog with him to the end and his dog stayed with him until the end,” Garcia said. 

“If that happened to me with my dogs, I would want somebody to treat my dogs just as kind and understand what they had been through.”

With Mel’s Mutts, Garcia is able to help stray, unwanted, and homeless dogs like Canelo. Furthermore, she also offers education and assistance with spay and neuter services.