Monse, Mario & Quique

Today we want to tell you the beautiful story of Monse, Mario, and Quique.

More than 8 years ago, in 2014, Mario and Quique met as if by fate.

That year Mario was going to participate in his second edition of PerroCross. In this event, humans run down the mountain with their dogs. However, Maya, Mario's PerroCross partner, sadly passed away just a month before the race after a struggle with her health that she didn't recover from.

Still, Mario decided to attend the event. He discovered that Land of the Strays would be 'renting' zaguates for people who did not have a dog to run with in exchange for a donation.

"I already had the racing harness I was using with Maya, so the idea was to go there and find a dog that would fit in it well enough," Mario told us. But when he arrived at the Shelter's station, he realized that most medium or large dogs were already set aside to run with high-performance athletes, who were special guests in the race edition.

"When I thought I was no longer going to be able to use the harness, I looked at the back of the truck again, and I saw Enrique jumping up and down, so I asked Marcela if she was available," says Mario. He was a perfect fit.

What Mario did not know was that Enrique was not supposed to be there in the first place. Quique was confiscated from his first owners for being a poaching dog, so there was no certainty that a dog like him would run in the mountains and not want to catch any prey that appeared. However, Quique got on the truck, and there was no way to get him out. "He was too excited to go, so we decided to take him even if it was for a little ride," Marce told us.

Even so, Quique and Mario went running. When they finished, Mario knew that a bond had already been formed between the two, one that they would not be able to ignore. While Monse finished a walk with Toby, the other dog in the family, Mario decided that he had no choice: they would have to adopt Quique.

Still grieving Maya, Mario's main concern was Monse's opinion on his decision, so he was surprised when Monse warmly replied: "I already knew we were going to take a dog home today."  

That same Sunday, Quique started a whole new life. He lived as a happy and spoiled dog. He had Toby and Cocoa as dog brothers and companions, and above all, he had humans who loved him unconditionally for more than 8 years.

Quique crossed the rainbow bridge just a few months ago. But his story continues to resonate in our hearts. Quique faithfully accompanied his humans and watched them grow in their ambitions, hobbies, and even their family when their baby girl was born.

"When I think of Quique and me, I can't help but think that fate had predestined us to be together until the end. It was destined for him to change my life and I, his' " concluded Mario.

‍