Before being rescued, this dog was found wandering alone on the streets of Los Angeles, California, and had evidently been doing so for the most of his life. The puppy was roughly 11 years old at the time, and due to his age, he became too ill and just wanted to obtain some assistance.
The senior dog chose to take a sleep on the porch of a woman’s house one day, but he decided to stay there until he received the necessary assistance. The woman observed the dog was unwell and terrified, so she approached to see what was wrong with him.
After a few days, the woman’s dog, Solovino, stayed on the porch, so she decided to do something to aid him.
CREDIT: CAROL MESSINA
The woman contacted the animal shelter Rocket Dog Rescue, who agreed to take care of Solovino and took him to their headquarters in San Francisco. The rescue center specializes in helping homeless animals, but the dog was first placed in foster care to get used to his new surroundings.
CREDIT: CAROL MESSINA
Unfortunately, Solovino was adopted several times, but for some reason all those times he was returned to the shelter, without much explanation.
No one could understand why the sweet little dog couldn’t find a suitable home, until Carol Messina came along to change his life.
CREDIT: CAROL MESSINA
As fate would have it, Carol saw Solovino’s photo on the internet and immediately knew he was the right dog for her and decided to adopt him.
Carol told The Dodo:
“As soon as I saw his face on the site, I wanted to love him. Then I saw that his name was Solovino, and being a huge Star Wars fan, I immediately thought, ‘Well, his name is Solo! I knew it was destiny. Then when I met him and saw how sad he was, I knew he would stay with me forever no matter what.”
CREDIT: CAROL MESSINA
When he first met Solo, he was very sad, shy and didn’t trust people very much, but he knew that with her he would be safe.
Solovino arrived at his new home and although he should be happy, he was terrified, apparently living on the streets for so long had affected him. Also, he was very wary of people and unreliable, as if he thought Carol was going to bring him back like the other adopters did.
CREDIT: CAROL MESSINA
Carol added:
“When he came to live with me, he kept his tail between his legs for months. He was not very sociable with dogs, people and cats, he flinched every time someone tried to pet him “.
Soon, Carol would make a discovery that would change Solo’s situation, since he was almost completely deaf and his teeth bothered him a lot. Even the shelter volunteers hadn’t noticed this either, which somewhat explained the reasons for his strange attitude.
CREDIT: CAROL MESSINA
Perhaps not being able to hear people approaching was the reason why he was so anxious or nervous. Also, his teeth were causing him a lot of pain and it was very difficult for him to be happy with any activity or show his true attitude.
So his new mom decided to take him to the vet to get his teeth fixed, and once they did, he just totally changed.
CREDIT: CAROL MESSINA
The dog began to play and run everywhere in the house, and even began to meet new dogs to form cute friendships. To help him with his hearing problem, Carol bought him a harness that says deaf, so people know and ask before petting him.
Also, he always turns the lights in the house on and off, so Solo knows she’s coming and doesn’t get scared by her presence.
CREDIT: CAROL MESSINA
Solovino has completely changed, in a short time he became a happy, outgoing dog and enjoys his life to the fullest.
Carol commented:
“People who live around us always comment that he doesn’t even look like the same dog anymore. He didn’t even open his mouth to gasp for months, and now he smiles, spins and runs outside a dozen times a day.”
Despite his health problems, Solovino’s life changed completely and now he is very happy to live his golden years next to his new mother.
CREDIT: CAROL MESSINA