Meet Solo, a stray who spent his entire life navigating the streets of Los Angeles.
By the age of 11, Solo had grown too old and frail to keep up with the other dogs. He ended up staying on a woman’s porch, waiting for help.
The woman, seeing Solo alone and abandoned, named him Solovino, a Spanish term meaning “he arrived alone,” reflecting his solitary existence.
When Solo remained on the woman’s porch for several days, she reached out to Rocket Dog Rescue. The rescue center agreed to take him in, and he was flown to San Francisco for a fresh start.
Solo was quickly placed into a foster home, where he lived for the next 18 months. Although he was adopted multiple times, he was always returned.
The reason behind his unsettled behavior remained a mystery until Carol Messina stumbled upon his photo online.
In an interview with The Dodo, Messina shared, “The moment I saw his face on their website, I knew I wanted to take him in. As a devoted ‘Star Wars’ fan (I even have a cat named after it), I instantly recognized that his name, Solovino, sounded just like ‘Solo!’ His foster dad had been calling him that, which felt like destiny. When I met him and saw how unhappy he was, I knew he was meant to be with me forever.”
When Solo first arrived at his new forever home, he was understandably anxious and scared, given his lifetime of living on the streets.
Messina noted that for months, Solo would tuck his tail between his legs and cower whenever someone tried to pet him. He was very timid and unresponsive to dogs, people, and even cats. She quickly realized that his hearing and dental health were in much worse condition than his foster parents had initially thought.
Due to Solo’s advanced age and poor health, neither the rescue organization nor his foster parents were aware of his severe tooth decay or nearly complete deafness.
His inability to hear people approaching made him very fearful and skittish when touched. Additionally, his dental pain dampened his enthusiasm for anything. However, once his dental issues were treated, Solo underwent a dramatic transformation.
Solo now delights in running, playing, and making new canine friends. It seems he has embraced his new life and is much happier as a result.
According to Messina, neighbors often comment that Solo no longer resembles the dog he once was. He hadn’t smiled or even panted for months, but now he joyfully rolls around and dashes across the grass multiple times a day.
