Two years ago, Evelyn Flores received a text message from her boyfriend that instantly broke her heart.
Outside his workplace in Mexico, he had spotted a small black and white dog sitting quietly by the side of the road.
She was all alone — except for a plastic bag filled with her toys and a few belongings.
It was painfully clear: someone had left her there on purpose.
When Flores heard what had happened, she couldn’t stop thinking about the little dog waiting beside that bag. She couldn’t go right away, but the very next morning, she drove to the spot — praying she’d find her safe.
And there she was.
The dog was still sitting in the same place, waiting faithfully for her family to return. But in the time since Flores’s boyfriend had first seen her, she’d suffered yet another heartbreak.
“Someone had stolen the bag of toys,” Flores told The Dodo. “They left the bag empty.”
The pup had been sleeping on the empty bag — the only thing she had left from the family who’d abandoned her.
“She was waiting for her family to come back for her,” Flores said softly. “I don’t understand how people can do something so heartless. It’s inhumane.”
Flores already had eight dogs at home, but she couldn’t bear to leave the lonely little soul behind. She gently scooped her up and brought her home, determined to show her what real love felt like.
She named her Dulce, the Spanish word for “sweet.”
“I chose the name because she is very affectionate, grateful, loving and obedient,” Flores said.
At first, Flores planned to find Dulce another home. But as the days passed, the bond between them deepened. Dulce followed her everywhere, her trust growing stronger with each gentle word and warm hug.
Before long, Flores knew — Dulce was already home.
Two years later, Dulce is almost unrecognizable from the heartbroken pup she once was. The sadness in her eyes has been replaced with joy, and her thin frame has filled out with love — and plenty of treats.
“We try to give her a lot of love because we know she was mistreated,” Flores said. “She came to us skinny, and now she’s chubby.”
Dulce may have been abandoned once, but now she knows what it means to be truly cherished.
“She’s been a blessing to have,” Flores said. “We thought we rescued her — but really, she rescued us.”
