This man clearly was in love with one dog he saw at a shelter.
Alva the dog has wobbler syndrome, but that didn’t stop Joe Rotunda from knowing they were meant to be together.
When she was just 5 months old, Alva was flea-ridden, malnourished, and in need of a helping paw. She had a hard time standing and walking on account of the syndrome. Living that way for two years with owners who adopted and returned her made her self-protective, territorial, and shy.
Mr. Rotunda had originally seen Alva on APA’s Instagram, and felt he had to do something to help 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.'”
He visited her every single day for two months to earn her trust in the hopes he could welcome her into his home for foster care. Seeing that there was a potential end to Alva’s difficulties, APA staff worked in the shelter to provide more accommodations for her Parkinson’s-like motor instability, in addition to a kind of physical therapy.
Eventually Rotunda got what he wished for, and Alva was able to move in with him and his other dog whom she also made friends with. He even outfitted his house with various ramps and padded corners to ensure she had a safe, maneuverable environment.
“Alva gave me a gift every time I saw her, and that was: inspiration. It is her spirit that is so infectious, she shines, and nothing gets in her way,” Rotunda told APA! “She does not know she is different.”