On a rainy day in Selma, California, a teenager named Ubaldo Apolinar heard scratching at his front door. When he went to check, he discovered a small puppy seeking shelter from the rain. Though Ubaldo felt responsible for the lost puppy and attempted to bring her inside, his parents refused. Undeterred, he chose to care for the puppy despite the circumstances.
Shivering In The Rain
Seeing the puppy shivering, Ubaldo brought out food for her. “At first, she backed away a little bit, but I kept getting closer to her, and once I pet her, she basically trusted me,” he shared with The Dodo. He noticed she had a pink collar, indicating she was likely lost and her owners were searching for her. Ubaldo joined several Facebook community groups to post about the puppy, hoping she could be reunited with her family.
While waiting for a response, he ensured the puppy was well-cared for. Despite asking his parents if the puppy could stay, they explained they couldn’t keep her since they already had a dog named Rocky, and their landlord allowed only one pet.
“My sister and I hung out with her on the porch in the afternoon and then played with her. I was worried about her being outside in the cold at night, so I made a little house for her out of an old cardboard box. But I couldn’t stop thinking about her at night, so I just snuck her in while my parents were asleep,” Ubaldo reminisced.
He took the puppy to the bathroom to play quietly and even fashioned a sweater from an old sock. “I was getting attached to her. I wish I could have kept her, but I knew the right thing was to return her to her owners,” he lamented.
Finding Her Way Home
Eventually caught by his parents, Ubaldo received a message the next day from a potential owner. “I got a potential owner request and after light social media stalking and passing by her house, her story checked out,” he explained. The potential owner lived nearby in Selma, CA.
They arranged to meet that same day for Ubaldo to return the puppy. “Right before I returned her, I played with her one last time in the yard with the tennis ball she liked, and I enjoyed the time with her. She was very playful and adorable,” he recounted. When it was time to go, the owner’s daughter revealed the puppy’s name was Bubba. After all the effort, Bubba was finally home where she belonged, and fortunately, she lived close enough for Ubaldo to visit any time!
Watch Bubba’s journey from being lost to finding her way home:
