Star: An Island Rescue Story by Meghan and Patrick

In May my boyfriend and I took a trip to Nicaragua where we saw abandoned and malnourished stray dogs everywhere.  It was overwhelming to see this number of street dogs. We wanted to pack them up and take them home.  By the end of our trip we were on a small Caribbean Island called Little Corn; staying in beach bungalows run by a couple from Fort Collins, Colorado.  On our first night we met Star, an extremely abused yet loving island dog.  She had open wounds covering her entire neck which we found out later came from her owner hanging her by lobster rope - a thick, coarse fishing rope.  Immediately we wanted to give her a better life, so for the next week we planned how to take her back with us to California.

To make a long story short, Star’s escape off the island included a wheelbarrow and boat ride in a small covered crate to keep her concealed, a taxi ride and then a short trip in a 12-seat airplane.  This all took place on her first day off the island that had no cars and a population of 1,000.  When we arrived in Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua, we spent five stressful hours running around obtaining her paperwork, getting her shots, getting her airplane crate and getting her ready for her flight the next morning.  After spending the night on the floor in the airport, we put Star on the plane headed for San Francisco.  After a layover in Houston, she arrived  later that night ready to start her new life.
 

Five days after seeing her first car, having her first plane ride and receiving her first toy, Star was adopted by our family friends Gianni and Melanie.  Star now has a loving family, a big brother named Riley, a lab mix 3 times her size, and a little sister named Abby, a cocker spaniel.  She is so happy to be living in Danville with her new family who love her so much.  Her wounds have healed and her life of abuse is forever behind her.
 

Meghan and Patrick

Tags: forever home, rescue pet, Star