During our trip to Mexico, we had quite an adventure. Deep in the heart of the Campeche forest, we discovered a young dog named Lola, who was visibly frightened and stranded about 40 kilometers from the nearest town. We suspected she had been abandoned, possibly because she appeared to be pregnant. After ensuring she had no puppies nearby, we decided to take Lola with us and bring her to a shelter.
It didn’t take long to earn her trust, and she was able to recover a little in our car. Fortunately, we were allowed to care for Lola for two days at our accommodation in Calakmul. Despite her initial fear, especially around other dogs, she unfortunately managed to escape the evening before our departure. With heavy hearts, we had to continue our journey the next morning, but before leaving, we made a quick stop at a nearby café for breakfast. To our surprise and delight, Lola suddenly walked into the café, wagging her tail, visibly happy to see us again.
Filled with new energy and relieved hearts, we packed Lola back into the car and continued our road trip to Tulum.
The Challenge of Finding a Shelter
Once in Tulum, finding a shelter proved to be quite challenging. Our Airbnb did not allow dogs, and all nearby shelters and pet hotels were either closed or only accepted vaccinated and neutered dogs. Eventually, we found a kind elderly woman who agreed to take Lola in temporarily and care for her. Thanks to a follower who saw our journey on Instagram, we were able to get in touch with Yuli, who runs a shelter in Cancun.
After another two-hour drive, we finally arrived at the shelter. Saying goodbye to Lola was bittersweet—she had grown so close to our hearts in such a short time. However, we were confident that she would be well cared for and, hopefully, find a forever home soon.
Hope Never Dies…
And indeed, it happened sooner than we could have imagined! Not even two hours after leaving the shelter, we received an exciting message from Yuli: Lola had already been adopted!
We were overjoyed and surprised—even Yuli, who cares for 480 dogs, had never witnessed such a quick adoption! Lola was immediately examined by a vet, and as suspected, she was pregnant. We covered the costs for her examination, vaccinations, sterilization, and provided three months’ worth of food.
We are beyond happy that we could help this loyal soul. Lola now lives a wonderful life in Cancun with a kind-hearted elderly lady who already owns two large dogs, has a spacious home, and has been a longtime supporter of the shelter.
Lucky Lola!
