There’s always the question of how a dog is going to react when they first get to a shelter, and many become withdrawn or are fearful of others. But when Muneca the 18-year-old dachshund arrived at the Baldwin Park Animal Care Center in Los Angeles, all she wanted to do was be held.
The senior dog had lost her home, her owner, and also her vision – and all she wanted was to develop a connection with someone who would comfort and look after her.
Thankfully, there were many caring people at the Baldwin Park center, and when longtime volunteer Elaine Seamans first introduced herself to Muneca, the scared little dog decided that this was her person – and leaped up into her arms.
Muneca then clung to Elaine as if she was still a baby. As if she felt like Elaine’s arms were the only safe place to be.
Photographer John Hwang just so happened to be visiting the shelter that day. He was on his way to take pictures for a photography project involving LA’s Skid Row, but as luck would have it, he’d decided to make the stop at the shelter.
Equipped with his camera, John spotted a way that he could take pictures of another kind of homeless situation- the animal kind. And the intimate moment between Muneca and Elaine was a perfect shot that would pull on anybody’s heartstrings.
“When I got to the shelter, Elaine was already holding the dog,” John told The Dodo. “The dog was clinging on to her.”
“Elaine is so amazing with the dogs,” he added. “She’ll roll on the ground with the shelter dogs. She’ll kiss them. She really has a special chemistry with them. I love capturing that.”
John’s heart melted as he watched the chemistry between Elaine and Muneca, and he was so pleased that he had managed to capture such a special moment.
“Ultimately, the person who sees the photo – I want them to feel something. I want them to feel a connection,” John said. “If I can capture the right sort of connect, then the person who sees the image will feel it too.”
The sweet pictures were shared on Facebook, and they were spotted by a rescue group called the Frosted Faces Foundation. Muneca had only spent two days at the shelter, and the foundation had decided that they wanted to give her a happy ending to her life.
The sweet little dog was taken for an assessment at a nearby veterinary clinic before she headed to San Diego to begin the new chapter of her life. Here, Muneca would live with foster families in a comfortable home environment until someone requested to adopt her- and we have some great news!
After checking the website for Muneca’s adoption appeal, we can see that it’s now disappeared – meaning that she’s likely been adopted!
The snuggly little dog now has her own home where she can have as many cuddles as she likes. Thanks to Elaine’s special connection with animals and John’s good timing, Muneca can finally have her happy ending.
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