When Alba first found her home, our friends from Austin Pets Alive! came over. They were overjoyed to have found her and thought they were much happier.
Alba has a neurological disease called cerebellar hypoplasia. This condition affects the parts of the brain that control movement, causing movement disorders.
Once in her forever home, Alva rarely went out. Due to lack of exposure to new people and situations, her behavior began to change. The puppy became frightened and became defensive and started biting new people who came to visit her family. This is why Alba’s family placed her in a shelter again. Staff at the shelter were deeply saddened and feared it would be difficult for the dog to find a forever home.
Alba continued to be ignored.
dog lying with a toy
Alba couldn’t understand why she suddenly found herself in a shelter. She wondered where her parents were and why they hadn’t come looking for her. Shelter staff began working with Alba and training her. They showered her with so much love and hoped someone would give her a chance. Although Alba has made significant progress in mobility and behavior, potential pet parents continued to ignore her. They didn’t want to spend time with her or get to know her. After 500 days in the shelter, Alba no longer believed she would ever find her forever family.
Falling In Love With Alva And Her Fighting Spirit
Everything changed when Joe Rotunda came across Alva’s story while scrolling on Instagram. The moment he saw her photo and her videos, he fell in love.
“She shined. She had this almost tangible will. I saw all these videos of Alva running, playing, and falling down. And every time she fell, she pulled herself back up. Every time a challenge presented itself, she did not go around it; she went over it. And I was very inspired,” Rotunda told PEOPLE.
He immediately headed to the shelter in Austin, Texas. Alva’s shelter friends told him about Alva’s health condition and her anxiety. He didn’t mind and he couldn’t wait to meet her.
When Rotunda met Alva for the first time, she was very cautious with him. Since he was a stranger to her, she became anxious and she snapped at him.
Rotunda didn’t let that discourage him because he saw how loving Alva was towards her shelter friends. Rotunda was determined to do anything to win Alva’s trust and love.
He visited her every day. The more time he spent talking to her, the more he fell in love.
Rotunda Promises Not To Give Up On Her
“I just looked at her and said, ‘I bet everyone has given up on you. I’m not going to do that to you,’” Rotunda told Austin Pets Alive!.
He worked with the rescue’s training staff who helped him win the pup’s trust.
Alva noticed how much Rotunda cared for her. The pup started looking forward to seeing him every day. Rotunda was overjoyed when Alva started approaching him. She wanted to spend more time with him.
Rotunda decided to take Alva for a sleepover in his home in Austin, Texas.
He blocked off a large area of his living room in his home. He added many kennels so that Alva could relax whenever she wanted to. He covered hard edges of surfaces so that Alva could move around safely.
Alva’s Perfect Forever Home
After Rotunda made his house Alva-friendly, he took the pup home. Alva felt like she had finally found her forever home. She was happy and carefree.
As soon as she saw Rotunda the next morning, she started wagging her tail, and Rotunda knew that Alva was ready to move in.
The sweet doggo brought so much joy to his home. She only needed someone to give her a chance, and Rotunda was glad that he believed in her from the start.
Alva quickly bonded with Max, her doggy sibling. The two siblings became best friends and they love napping together.
Rotunda’s love for Alva melted her anxiety and her fears, which were holding her down. She adores her dad and showers him with kisses.
She is a new dog now. She loves her new life and can’t stop smiling.
