00:04When I first saw Hugo, he was in a shelter video on Instagram.
00:09It showed this cute little dog in a cage being wheeled towards the euthanasia room.
00:13I remember looking at his face and seeing pure fear in his eyes, and I knew immediately I couldn't let
00:19him die.
00:21Hugo was so happy to be out of the shelter.
00:25He's a good boy, huh?
00:26This foster family went ahead and they gave him a bath and they towel dried him off.
00:31Afterwards, they placed him in a designated foster dog room while they went to get his dinner from the kitchen.
00:36There was a fan that wasn't turned on, but it was still plugged in.
00:40I wish I had some better news right now.
00:43Because he was wet, he got electrocuted.
00:48I'll never forget getting the phone call from the foster family.
00:51They were screaming and crying.
00:53Hugo's injuries were incredibly severe.
00:55He was unconscious for a few hours and no one could tell us if he would wake up again.
01:00Hi, baby.
01:01When I got the phone call that he was awake, I've never felt more relieved.
01:05Unfortunately, the electrocution had caused major damage internally.
01:09His lungs were affected and he developed pulmonary edema, a heart murmur, and then later developed pneumonia.
01:16Sweet love.
01:17Watching him hooked up to oxygen and hearing the vets prepare us for the worst case scenarios was devastating.
01:24Every tiny improvement felt huge because things were so uncertain in those first few days.
01:29Even during the hardest parts of Hugo's recovery, he still wanted to connect with people.
01:33One of the really hard parts about all of this was I was 600 miles away and I felt so
01:38helpless.
01:39It was absolutely horrible.
01:41I knew Hugo had a very long road ahead of him and needed to stay close to the vet in
01:45Southern California.
01:45I contacted Shoshi, the founder of Underdog Heroes.
01:49So I am on my way to go pick up Hugo.
01:53And without hesitation, she welcomed Hugo into her home with open arms.
01:57At that point, Hugo still had a feeding tube.
02:00He needed constant monitoring, medications, special care, follow-up appointments, and around-the-clock attention while recovering.
02:07Oh, his little face.
02:10Hey, my good boy.
02:12Hugo stayed with Shoshi for a few months while he continued recovering.
02:17And I flew down almost every other weekend to spend time with them and help however I could.
02:23Seeing Hugo slowly become goofy and playful was one of the best feelings ever.
02:27After watching him so sick and fragile, getting to see his personality bloom felt incredibly rewarding.
02:34Once Hugo had his final surgery to remove 17 teeth and part of his lower jaw, we finally knew it
02:39was time for the original plan.
02:41Bring Hugo up to me in Northern California.
02:45Now Hugo is here with me.
02:47He's thriving, happy, and finally getting to just be a dog.
02:51He still wakes up excited for life.
02:54He still trusts people.
02:55He still loves people, affection, and other dogs.
02:58What makes Hugo so special is after everything he's endured,
03:02he still chooses joy every single day.
03:06If Hugo's future family is watching this, I want them to know they're getting one of the most incredible dogs.
03:11Hi!
03:12Hugo will make their life fuller, funnier, and better every single day.
03:16He should not be here today, but he is, and he is thriving.
03:33He's thriving.
03:33He's thriving.
03:33He's thriving.
03:33He's thriving.
03:34He's thriving.
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