In late December, when Junrell Fuentes Revilla was riding his motorcycle through the mountains near Cebu in the Philippines, a dog started barking and running after him. The dog acted like he was trying to get Revilla’s attention.
Revilla could sense that the dog was trying to tell him something, so he stopped his motorcycle and approached the dog. The dog then led Revilla into a dumpsite and headed for a small bundle on the ground.
“To Revilla’s surprise, he found a baby wrapped in a brown towel,” Gea Ybarita, a staff member at Hope for Strays said. “The location where the baby was found is isolated since it’s on the top of the mountain.”
Revilla picked up the newborn and rushed the baby to the nearest police station, where the Department of Social Welfare stepped in. Thanks to the dog’s quick wits, the baby was found in time and still in good health.
After the dog’s touching story went viral on social media, volunteers with the rescue Hope for Strays rushed into the mountains in search of the hero dog. They came upon a man who said he owned this dog, named Blacky.
“He showed us the way to his home and to our surprise, Blacky was there with three other dogs,” Ybarita said. “We’ve confirmed he is not a stray at all.”
The fact that Blacky had a loving home brought relief to the rescuers, but it was clear that Blacky and his family still needed support. “[Blacky’s owner] stated, ‘No matter how hard life is, even though I’m poor, I feed all of my dogs and take care of them well,’” Ybarita said.
Since then, the community has shown overwhelming support for Blacky and his family by donating food, pet supplies, and other items. While Blacky may not know it, he’s changed the future for him, his family and one very lucky baby girl.
