Last October, hurricane Delta was roaring towards Cancun, Mexico and people were taking all precautions to make sure that they’re safe. But what do you do when you have 300 dogs in your house that need protection? You protect every living thing of course.
When Ricardo Pimentel heard about the hurricane, he knew he had to do something to protect the poor stray animals. Ricardo is not just an animal lover, he’s the founder of “Terra de Animales” and he has dedicated his life to giving home to animals that have nowhere to go. In the course of 9 years, he has cared for more than 500 stray animals. Ricardo knew that his dog shelter wasn’t strong enough to survive the hurricane, so he made the radical decision and brought 300 stray dogs in the house.
“We decided to put almost all the dogs inside the house, simply because we don’t fully trust in the shelters that we currently have because they aren’t hurricane-proof,” says Ricardo.
Moving 300 animals wasn’t an easy task! It took 5 hours for Ricardo and a group of volunteers to move all the pups and help the accommodate in the house before the hurricane.
“We had to bring them in on leash two by two. Some of them are afraid or don’t know how to walk on a leash, so we had to carry them to the house, but in the end, it was worth it because they are all safe,” says Ricardo.
His house was fully stocked with food and supplies, so all they had to do is sit with 300 dogs and wait for the hurricane to pass.
As the news of his act spread, people started praising Ricardo for his selflessness and thanked him for everything that’s done, many even offered donations.
Unfortunately, the hurricane left the shelter devastated, but Ricardo is hopeful that he’ll rebuild a better one, thanks to the donations of the kind people.
