In the kennels of a high-kill shelter, Felix and Oscar took comfort in one another, unaware they did not have much more time left in this world. That is until Mona Ahmed saw them.
As a volunteer photographer at a city shelter in Fresno, California, Mona sees many dogs who need rescuing. But the tiny Chihuahua mix (Felix) and the big yellow dog with a missing front paw (Oscar), immediately caught her attention and touched her heart.
The two were lying down in the kennel, with Felix resting on top of Oscar. When they looked up at her, they gave her a curious, warm stare. She immediately snapped a photo and thought she would take some more photos to help see if she could get them rescued. But the dogs became immediately anxious when they couldn’t see each other. She could tell the two friends were strongly bonded with one other.
“My heart just melted to see the love they have for each other,” Ahmed told The Dodo. “Right away I took my phone out and took a picture.” But her hope quickly turned to fear when she learned they were slated for euthanasia that very same day. Both had kennel cough, a highly infectious disease, so the high-kill shelter had moved them up the list to be put down.
Ahmed panicked and immediately put out a plea to help save the sweet duo. She also asked the shelter for more time, which the luckily agreed to. They gave her one more day. Even more fortunate is that Ahmed ran into volunteers from Compassion Without Borders (CWOB). When Camblor saw Felix and Oscar’s photo, she knew she had to ask her volunteers to evaluate the pair.
The rescue volunteers determined that the dogs were “two extraordinarily sweet and loving boys” and pulled them from the shelter and brought them to their Muttopia shelter to be treated.
“Both are still recovering from a nasty case of kennel cough, but are happy, thriving, and have settled in beautifully at Muttopia,” CWOB wrote on Facebook.
They are also be looking into getting a prosthetic for Oscar’s missing paw.
CWOB says the pair will be ready to be adopted soon. “This handsome duo will be looking for a home soon so help us spread the word about them and help us to help them along their journey to the happiness and love they both so deserve,” they said.
Felix and Oscar wouldn’t have gotten their chance of happiness if it hadn’t been for Ahmed regularly volunteering her time. “I’m so, so happy,” she wrote after she knew the pair were safe and on their way to a new life.
To help support Oscar and Felix’s recovery please visit Compassion Without Borders website.
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