Moose’s story



"It takes a village" is not just a saying - it's a truth. We witnessed this recently, when a large lost dog was spotted wondering the streets of Berkeley, CA. 

 

It was the second week of August when we got wind of a large black dog, running around the Claremont hotel. People were posting various sightings all over NextDoor. There was an outcry from the community with so much concern for this dog who was clearly scared and on the loose. 

 

Within hours, a small group of individuals came together to try to find and catch the dog. We were able to find him, but he was fearful and ran every time. We tried every enticing treat available - with no success. He had no intentions of being caught anytime soon. He ran miles every day, lapping the Claremont Hotel and losing us in the wooded areas out back. 

 

As a team we were able to track his sleeping, eating, and resting patterns. After a full week, we narrowed down his route to one particular house on Alvarado Street where a wonderful couple, named David and Gail, put out water, food and a bed for him each day. After two full weeks, with their help, we were able to gain his trust and lure him into a crate/trap. 




Throughout this process we put up flyers, people continued to share on social media and on neighborhood forums. Absolutely nobody recognized him or came forward. It became painfully clear that he was dumped in the area and did not know where to go or what to do.



On the night of Thursday August 22nd, he wondered into the crate/trap in front of David and Gail's home. Berkeley Animal Control (BAC) was already closed for the night, so he laid down and rested until morning. There he was, laying down patiently in the dog crate, looking at us with his big beautiful puppy eyes. He started eating some yummy chicken that David and Gail got for him. Christine, one of the main volunteers in this effort, fed him by hand and he was very gentle. She had gained his trust over those two weeks, and he knew she wasn't going to hurt him. She kept him company and gave him love while waiting to be picked up by BACs. 

  

Two long weeks on the run and we finally were able to get him off the streets! He was safe from the elements, but the fight for his life was far from over. On Friday the 23rd, Christine sat with him while he adjusted to his new environment at BACs. She gave him a bowl of food and water. His tail started to perk up and his eyes widened in fear of his new surroundings. He was clearly wondering if this was a new home or not. The only personal item he had was a cozy bed that Christine had purchased for him so he could snuggle up and rest while at BACs. 

 

Without tags or a microchip - he didn't even have a name. At the time, we called him Alvarado, due to the location where he was eventually caught. Alvarado loved his new comfy bed, and Christine connected with him more as they sat together. He clearly didn't have trust in humans due to a rough past, but he did trust Christine, which made a huge difference. He licked her face, wagged his tail, and jumped up for hugs. He wanted to love and be loved. 

 

After a few days at BACs, Alvarado started to deteriorate. He was having a hard time in the shelter environment, which is very common for many dogs. We believe that he was abused in the past, dumped on the streets, stressed from weeks on the run, and anxious from the scary smells and sounds in the shelter. Due to this, he was made rescue only, which made it very difficult to save his life. We had seen him in action, as a loving and sweet dog. We knew he could thrive, given the right family, and a chance to live!

 

BACs put a stray hold on him for August 30th, and he would be at risk of euthanasia shortly after. That made our job urgent - we needed to find a rescue to pull and a foster to take him in - right away! We worked long days - on top of our own family and work commitments - reaching out to every single rescue we could. Between us, we reached out to over 100 rescues within 2 days, and after a week we had some that were willing to learn more about Alvarado. BACs then gave us the devastating news - he was to be euthanized September 4th. We needed a miracle! 

 

The next morning our community came together in an incredible way! Many people called BACs asking for more time, and they amazingly agreed to not euthanize him until Friday, September 6th. That gave us a little more time to make magic happen! We started a Go Fund Me, posted it on NextDoor and other social media outlets, and raised a total of $2000 - fast! This was amazing and we were (and are) beyond grateful to the generous people who donated! That being said, we still did not have a rescue willing to pull Alvarado from BACs, and we still needed an experienced foster to take him in. 

 
One of the other main volunteers involved in this effort, Alexia, asked her network for help as well. Her friend, Jana, had posted within her personal network and helped to locate the amazing fosters, Dawnielle and Shea! They were a perfect fit in terms of experience and care for a pup like Alvarado. From there we were connected to Bonnie and then guided to Jelly’s Place, an Animal rescue and Adoption agency in the Bay Area that is committed to a no-kill policy! Within hours, the amazing SF resident and owners of ‘Scissor Me Whiskers’ - Dawnielle and Shea - had officially agreed to foster Alvarado! AND - Fiona at Jelly’s Place Rescue got it done and helped us pull him from BACs. All of the work, connections and effort lead to these amazing folks and saving his life! 

 

As of Thursday, September 4th 2019, Alvarado was free! The village that came forward to rescue hime was beyond incredible! So many of us had not slept well in weeks, and we finally had the relief of knowing he was not only safe, but in a loving and caring foster home! 

 

Alvarado now has a fresh start at life - and with that fresh start - we gave him a new name! He is now lovingly known as Moose, for his size and goofiness. :) We are still raising money to contribute to the cost of helping Moose in his new foster home, to cover vet bills, food, and most importantly a trainer/rehabilitation specialist to help him trust humans again. Training and rehabilitation is definitely going to be the most costly item on our list - so any contribution that can be made towards that effort on the Go Fund Me would be greatly appreciated! We are also making a donation to Jelly's Place because without their help as a rescue, we would not have been able to pull Moose out of the shelter to save his life! 




Moose was clearly hurt by humans in his former life and is ready to move forward. It will be a long road ahead, but he's a fantastic dog with so much love to give. He deserves this - and we're so excited to share his journey with all of you! We love and appreciate all of the support that you've shown Moose throughout this effort and beyond! 

 

-To continue to help Moose (and his foster family) with his bright future (vetting, training and rehabilitation) - PLEASE donate to his GoFundMe! We will post updated photos, receipts and updates so you can see how things are progressing and where your donations are going. 

 
-If you would like to directly support and contribute to Jelly's Place (the rescue who came forward and helped save Moose) please visit www.jellysplace.org  - Supporting their rescue will help them save more lives moving forward! 

 

-To continue to support Dawnielle and Shea, the foster family that graciously took in Moose, please visit Scissor Me Whiskers. They are incredible, and you can read more about them online, on Facebook and Instagram as well!


 

-For any questions or concerns:

Contact …….

Alexia Portillo
Owner/blogger 

Mommylexi.com

(415) [phone redacted]
[email redacted]


Christine Grose
USCG Veteran
Dog Walker/ Puppy Trainer/ Pet Sitter
(914) [phone redacted]
[email redacted]