Maddy Marino expected a fun afternoon of puppy yoga with friends. She didn’t expect to meet the dog who would completely change her life.
During a puppy yoga event hosted high above the city at 360 Chicago, dozens of playful rescue puppies wandered through the room greeting participants.
But one tiny puppy named Ernesto had eyes for only one person.
The 2-month-old rescue pup immediately walked over to Marino’s yoga mat and refused to leave her side for the entire class.
“He stayed with me the whole time,” Marino later told The Dodo. “He just seemed so comfortable next to me.”
The pup stayed close to Marino throughout the entire yoga session, which took place at 360 Chicago, an observation deck located on the 94th level of a building that offers panoramic views of the Chicago skyline. 360 Chicago posted a video of Marino’s special interaction with Ernesto on their Instagram and TikTok.
While other guests tried to attract the puppies’ attention, Ernesto remained curled up beside Marino, happily relaxing on her mat as if he’d already decided she was his person.
Staff members from One Tail at a Time noticed the connection right away.
“The room was full of people, but Ernesto chose her immediately,” the rescue’s marketing manager, Alli Rooney, explained. “He was completely content just staying beside her.”
Ernesto had originally come to the rescue through a partner organization in Arkansas after being found abandoned alongside his mother and siblings near a roadside. Thankfully, the little family was rescued, and eventually Ernesto made his way to Chicago in search of a home.
Although puppy yoga events help raise awareness for rescue dogs, they don’t always lead directly to adoptions.
This time was different.
As soon as the class ended, Marino approached volunteers to ask about adopting Ernesto. The puppy still needed one final booster shot before becoming available, but Marino wasted no time submitting her adoption application that same night.
“I didn’t want to lose him,” she said.
A few days later, she received the call she’d been hoping for: Ernesto was ready to come home.
When Marino reunited with the puppy at the adoption center, Ernesto immediately ran back over to her just like before.
“I sat down and he came right up to me again,” Marino said. “At that point, it just felt meant to be.”
Now Ernesto lives happily with Marino and her boyfriend, Jay Capodanno, who had always talked about getting a dog together someday — they just hadn’t known when the timing would feel right.
Apparently, Ernesto did.
The once-abandoned puppy has settled beautifully into his new home, where he spends his days making dog friends, cuddling with his new family, and soaking up the love he always deserved.
Looking back, Marino feels the entire experience happened for a reason.
“Everything just fell into place,” she said.
To help other dogs like Ernesto find homes in the Chicago area, you can support One Tail at a Time here.
