Last month, animal rescuer Citlalli Jocelyn Vázquez Mercad arrived at a part of town near her home where many stray dogs live. As part of her work with the group Defensa Nacional de Lomitos, she brings them food and water and monitors their health.
It was while doing so that Mercad met a mother dog and her adorable litter of puppies.
Defensa Nacional de Lomitos
Though there were initially four puppies found there with Mom, a fifth, smaller pup appeared. Unlike his siblings, whose coats were spotted with black, this puppy was entirely gray.
Defensa Nacional de Lomitos
The mother dog and her puppies enjoyed a meal together, not realizing that their lives were about to change.
Defensa Nacional de Lomitos
That day, Mercad and her colleagues decided to bring the mother dog and her puppies to their shelter to keep them safe, and when the time was right, find them new homes.
The gray puppy, who struggled to keep up with his larger siblings, preferred to sleep that night in his rescuer’s arms.
But what no one knew at the time was that he was hiding a beautiful secret.
Defensa Nacional de Lomitos
The next day, the puppies were all given baths to give them a fresh start on the road to happier new lives as beloved pets.
When it came time to give the gray pup a scrub-down, however, his rescuers were stunned.
He wasn’t actually gray at all:
Defensa Nacional de Lomitos
The “gray” puppy was actually a brilliant shade of white.
“We had absolutely no idea! It came as a huge surprise,” Mercad told The Dodo. “We soon realized that the discoloration was just grease and grime.”
Freshly cleaned, the formerly gray puppy was given the name Polar.
Defensa Nacional de Lomitos
All the puppies, who had also lost their tinges of gray, were given names and a clean bill of health from the vet. And thanks to the video of Polar’s transformation, which soon went viral, they got the public attention adoptable pups like them often need.
Defensa Nacional de Lomitos
“Polar worked some magic with his video,” Mercad said. “Thanks to that exposure, we’ve been able to find excellent homes for three of the puppies.”
Defensa Nacional de Lomitos
Rescuers are hopeful that Polar and his sibling will soon join the others in finding forever homes to call their own — and likewise their mother, who has since been spayed.
Their future, like Polar’s clean white coat, has never looked brighter.
Defensa Nacional de Lomitos
“We can all help — even small acts of care can make a big difference,” Mercad said. “Polar is proof that, with love and attention, the life of a sentient being can be completely transformed. Just like him, his mom and his little siblings also deserve that opportunity to find a home filled with love.”
To learn more about Polar and his family, visit Defensa Nacional de Lomitos on Facebook and Instagram.
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