The passage of DANA through Valencia, in addition to highlighting the lack of greater security protocols in emergency situations, has also left us with a beautiful side of the coin, the solidarity side. Thousands of people from all over Spain mobilized after the disaster to help the affected areas in any way possible.
The damage caused by the storm has been very numerous and has affected Valencians in many areas: businesses, homes, shopping centers… And also to the animal shelters, that were completely flooded with hundreds of animals in their care, in some cases.
For this reason, there were many volunteers from the pet sector (veterinarians, educators, mostly), who They moved to the affected areas to help treat the animals and, also, to find those who had lost their way. An example of this is José, a photographer known for his Instagram account ‘Photographic footprint’with more than 255,000 followers.
Born in Alicante and with his parents residing in the Valencian Community, José, who was just going to visit the family, decided to contribute his small grain of sand after learning about the situation. “I found out through social networks and when I started to see the images (in a loop, because once you start, you can’t stop), I felt tremendous anxiety and a need to help in some way,” says the man from Alicante.
The southern area of Paiporta and the dogs that lived there
After finding out which areas had been most affected and seeing where other volunteers were moving, José decided to go to the southern area of Paiporta, to one of the least accessible areas and, therefore, there would not be many people who could have traveled there.
“My first intention was to go to shelters, because they were destroyed, but when I was able to go it was already a week later, they had already received a lot of help, that’s why I chose to go on my own,” he explains. “I saw that Rambla del Pollo had been one of the most affected areas and I wanted to go there to see what the situation was like and what I found.
While taking some photos with his cell phone to reflect the situation through his Instagram account, In the distance he saw the figures of two dogs crossing to the other side of the bridge he was on. “I wasn’t expecting it, nor did I have my backpack with me with the food to see if I could get them, so I had to quickly go back to the car to get it,” he remembers.
In the end I went to take the dog to the shelter that was nearby and went back to see if I could see the hound again.
“They were a hound and a black mixed-breed dog that a priori I would say was younger. She was very happy to see me, with two legs on top of me and everything, I didn’t have to do practically anything to catch her on the leash,” he says. “However, the other dog was more fearful.”
Once José managed to tie the dog, he realized that it was going to be impossible to manage alone to catch the othertaking into account that he did not finish approaching him. “I was overwhelmed although, luckily, some guys passed by and took care of the dog while I tried, without success, to catch the other dog,” he laments.
“In the end I went to take the dog to the shelter nearby and went back to see if I could see the hound again,” says José. “I walked along the boulevard towards the north but nothing, But along the way I met some neighbors who told me that the dog had been in the area for a long time.”
Dan, a long and tedious rescue
The next day José couldn’t stop thinking about that hound that he had not been able to catch, so he decided to return to the same area, retracing his own steps and wait until he was lucky to meet him again. “When I passed through the area where he should be, I saw him through some fences on another farm, “It was like seeing a mirage, a unicorn,” he remembers. “I didn’t believe it.”
“Since the coverage in the area was very bad and the messages took time to arrive, I knew that asking for help was impossible, so I realized that I was going to be there all day, willing to do anything to catch him,” he says. “He couldn’t get close and on top of that he was limping more than the previous afternoon I saw him.”
Thanks to putting a can of food in it, the dog began to approach José, who remained sitting on the floor, trying not to make any sudden movements that would scare him. “I got my backpack pissed,” he remembers, laughing. “Now I laugh, but at the time going after him was exasperating, The situation was beyond me because I had never rescued a dog before and, in fact, I thought it was impossible.
Luck smiled on the young photographer, who met a boy who was riding his bike with his dog and who, coincidentally, knew the dog that José was trying to catch. “He told me that since his dog was female, The hound sometimes came out after her and offered me his help to catch him.“, he says.
“After a long time trying to catch him, the dog became overwhelmed and went to a brick house, where he hid in a shed with only one entrance, so that was our opportunity,” he continues. “We found him lying in a corner, tired and scared, “so we took the opportunity to cover the door with some boards and, by throwing the leash at him from afar, I managed to put the lasso on him and catch him, although he got very scared.”
The first hours with the animal were spent sitting, side by side, so that the dog could get used to the presence of the photographer and the leash. “We walked very slowly towards the car and, although I ran into a couple who offered to take him to the shelter (because they were helping them), “I wasn’t ready to say goodbye,” he assures. “That’s when I realized that I had grown fond of him.”
A rescue that turned into adoption
The next few days with Dan (it was time to give him a name), were full of emotions. “My mother almost killed me when I told her I was coming back with another dog. (I already live with Kena, who stayed with them while I looked for Dan)”, says José. “At first I thought about finding him a family and, in the meantime, I left him at my cousin’s house, but he howled so much that I had to go pick him up a few hours later, convincing my mother to go to the orchard to spend the night with him.
“At home he was very good and he got along with Kena right away, although he had a tremendous attachment to me,” explains José. “That’s when I realized that that dog was going to stay with me. and, if I still had doubts, when they gave me the veterinary results with the positive for Leishmania I already confirmed it, no one was going to want to keep him, so he stayed at home.
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