Do you believe in love at first sight? Well, Joe Rotunda did when he first saw his furry friend Alva on Instagram.
Alva, who has wobbler syndrome, a disorder that limits her mobility, originally came to a shelter in Austin in November 2020 when she was five months old when she was infested with fleas and had a hard time moving, standing and walking.
She had been returned to the shelter because she had become territorial, defensive and fearful. The shelter said her physical limitations had led her to be self-protective, keeping distance between herself and others.
But none of that mattered to Joe. He visited her at the shelter every day for two months to gain her trust.
After he earned Alva's trust, Joe became her full-time foster and transformed his home for her, with an outside ramp, a safe space for her to move around and new kennels for her to decompress.