It was nearly midnight when Andrea and her family decided to part ways the other night. After a full day of celebrating a friend’s baptism near Michoacán, Mexico, the exhausted attendees were looking forward to getting some rest at home. But that all
changed when Andrea’s boyfriend rushed back in with news that immediately halted their plans.
“He told me there was a dog lying outside,” Andrea told The Dodo.
Andrea, an avid animal lover, rushed outside and found a black dog with a white chest and paws curled up alongside the busy roadway. He wasn’t the first dog she’d seen in the area, but something about his demeanor told her he needed help.
“I went straight over to pet him, and he kept lifting his paw,” Andrea said. “As if he were ‘talking’ with his paw.”
After petting the dog for a few minutes, Andrea went back inside to see if he belonged to anyone there. Sadly, no one claimed him, so she returned to the dog’s side and mulled over what to do.
“It was 12 a.m. on the side of the highway, so we just couldn't bring ourselves to leave him there,” Andrea said.
Andrea and her boyfriend had helped save stray dogs in the past, though it had been a while since their last rescue. Still, the couple swiftly scooped up the dog and carried him to their car, promising to get him the care he needed.
The dog, whom they named Julián, wasn’t wary of his helpers at all. Instead, he felt immediately comforted by them and quickly began showing affection.
“He was so incredibly sweet,” Andrea said. “He loved being petted, rolled onto his belly and kept offering his paw.”
The couple took Julián to their home in Querétaro for the night before going to the veterinarian the next morning. There, doctors determined that the paw Julián kept offering to his rescuers was actually injured, but he was otherwise healthy.
Andrea and her partner were elated to learn that Julián was going to be OK, and they swiftly started treating his injured paw.
On the night they rescued the sweet boy, Andrea and her boyfriend hoped to find him a loving home. But after just a few days together, the couple realized Julián was exactly where he needed to be and officially decided to adopt him.
You can watch footage from his rescue here:
Once an injured stray dog living along a highway, Julián is now living the life of his dreams. When he’s not cuddling with his parents on the couch, he enjoys joining them on all their adventures and gobbling up an endless supply of his favorite snacks.
Andrea only expected to celebrate her friend’s baptism the day she found Julián. But she never expected she’d go home with the best living party favor anyone could have ever asked for.
