Scuba's Story
Meet Scuba. He's only 2 years old, but he has packed a lot of wisdom into those two years.
He was dumped on an empty street in Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico as a puppy, to be forgotten like millions of other dogs who slip away and out of memory under cars or in garbage piles. But Scuba was not on this journey alone!
He made friends with charismatic dogs and generous people who brought him companionship, food, and care.
He survived for months chasing iguanas up trees and begging for leftovers at island bars.
He narrowly escaped attacks and curled up on strangers' porches.
For those few months, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to live on the street...
But the time came as it always does for even the luckiest street dogs, when Scuba felt the full weight of abandonment.
He contracted TVT, infectious and fatal tumors, and was left to bleed and wither like many of the forgotten dogs before him.
But Scuba was not abandoned by everyone...
Where many would shrug and sigh and move on, there were some humans that promised to help him.
They took him to the vet covered in blood and braced for the impact of impossible recovery.
What came was a long list of expensive medical procedures and experimental solutions; a long, hard, and painful road.
How will you pay for this?
Who will want him afterward?
Will it be worth it?
Why do all of this for a street dog?
It can be hard to answer those questions at first.
For weeks Scuba lived in a small kennel and endured excruciating chemotherapy treatments while money was raised in desperation.
When treatments stopped working, he went into surgery, and then returned to chemo until his cancer was finally gone.
He could not know what was to come, but he still fought as if he did...
After many months of waiting and searching, we were in contact with a man in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
He was fighting an incurable bone cancer, and was looking for a companion, but more importantly he was looking for hope. He needed a dog that would get him out of bed in the morning and out for walks. That would carry what he could not and keep him company in a long and difficult tunnel.
Scuba had gone down the same agonizing journey and survived. He was not just a street dog, he was a shining example of the fight and purpose. Here was a creature that through the darkest dark was always a source of light.
Through broken down cars, a long plane ride, and drives in the snow. Scuba finally made it home.
When you support a rescue, you save more than just one life.
You save the life of the person whose struggle becomes real and conquerable when they look into the large, brown eyes that have seen only abuse, neglect, starvation, and disease and see only devotion and gratitude. We do not see anger, fear, regret, or revenge. There is only love.
Why do all of this for a street dog?
Because our humanity depends on it.
We are still trying to cover the last of Scuba's vet bills, transport, and transition into his new home as a support animal. Please DONATE IF YOU CAN!
And please spread the word so that we can keep spreading hope. :)