Megan Mannarelli-Martin and her husband haven’t had a vacation in years, but recently, they’ve finally found time. The couple ran a special needs rescue called Rafiki’s Rescue, and it was hard to get out of it. To make it work, they even took in three rescue cats. After the cats have settled in and the car is loaded, the couple embarked on a road trip to recharge and relax.
Rescue efforts were apparently everywhere, as the rescue team found an abandoned dog in the middle a busy road after a four hour vacation.
They were miles from home at the time, so Kevin, the dog that would become their best friend, was probably abandoned. They knew they couldn’t leave her there and immediately went into rescue mode.
“When we saw Kevin, he was scared but very interested in being rescued,” Mannarelli-Martin told The Dodo. “It took an hour to gain her trust. If that would cause her to become more scared and run back to the middle of the road, I couldn’t chase her. So I sat on the road divider in the middle and let her come to me for an hour, Then she finally got close enough that I was confident enough to catch her.”
After Kevin was safe, the couple settled Kevin and scanned Kevin’s microchip. Since she didn’t, they checked local online forums and contacted local shelters in case she had family members outside looking for her. They decide to take her on vacation.
They stopped at the rescue center to collect all necessary supplies and continued on their journey. Kevin was understandably scared, but the more time she spent with the rescuers, the more relaxed she became, and it didn’t take long for her to be the cutest and most excited pup.
“Given the situation, she adapted very quickly,” Mannarelli-Martin said. “She was very, very scared the first night, but also obviously grateful to be safe. On the third night, she jumped with excitement when she saw us.”
Kevin went from worrying about her life on the road to exploring Sequoia National Park with some strangers and their rescue cats, but that didn’t seem to worry her. She is glad to be included. She loves every stop of the road trip, especially when she is less guarded and more time passes. After everything she’s been through, the couple can’t believe how awesome she is. They were meant to find her.
“Kevin is a super love bug,” Mannarelli-Martin said. “She was happy and just wanted to be loved and hugged.”
Kevin is settled now that her road trip is done. She is happy and doing well. She’ll soon be ready to find her forever home — unless she becomes a foster loser.
“She’s going to be adopted within a few weeks of her last vaccination — that is, if I can give her up,” Mannarelli-Martin said. “We are very attached.”
Meghan Mannarelli Martin, her husband, and their struggle to escape rescue work have been going on for days. Instead, they found themselves in the right place at the right time to change Kevin’s life.
You can follow Rafiki’s Rescue on Instagram and Facebook.
