In late December, Junrell Fuentes Revilla was riding his motorcycle through the mountains near Cebu in the Philippines when a dog started running after him.
The dog was barking desperately to get Junrell’s attention. The biker sensed that the dog was trying to tell him something, so he stopped his bike and approached him.
The dog led Junrell to a rubbish dump and then to a small bundle squirming on the ground.
“To Revilla’s surprise, he found a baby wrapped in a brown towel,” explains Gea Ybarita, a staff member at Hope for Strays, a non-profit organization that helps animals.
“The place where the baby was found is isolated since it’s on top of the mountain.”
Junrell picked up the newborn and rushed him to the nearest police station, where the Department of Social Welfare responded. Thanks to the dog’s quick thinking, the baby was found just in time and was still in good health.
When the story of the stray dog’s heroism spread to the local news, Hope for Strays volunteers rushed into the mountains in the hope of finding the dog.
But against all odds, they came across a man who claimed the dog, named Blacky, belonged to him.
“He showed us the way to his house and, to our surprise, Blacky was there with three other dogs,” says Gea. “We were able to verify that it wasn’t a stray at all.”
Rescuers were relieved that Blacky had a loving home, but it was clear that the dog and his family still needed help.
Blacky’s owner said, ‘No matter how hard life is, even though I’m poor, I feed all my dogs and take good care of them.’ reports Gea.
Since then, Blacky and his family have received a great deal of support from the community, including donations of food, pet supplies and much more.
And although Blacky doesn’t know it, he has changed the future for himself and his family, as well as for a very lucky little girl!
