A shelter dog born with severely deformed legs who was struggling to get adopted has found a forever home in the most unlikely of places.
Newsweek first reported on the heartbreaking plight of Ace the dog back in November 2023. Just over 18 months earlier, Ace had been brought to the Asociación de Amigos de Animales Abandonados or “Triple A” shelter in Marbella, southern Spain, by the local health authority.
Elise Dunweber, who is the president of the shelter, told Newsweek that Ace “was hardly able to walk with his legs curled around in front of him” when he first arrived.
Ace’s misshapen legs, which were thought to be the result of a birth defect, made it almost impossible for the pup to lead a normal life. He underwent multiple surgeries that meant he could not only walk but also run reasonably well.
However, despite being a popular pet among staff and volunteers, Ace struggled to drum up much interest from potential new owners visiting the shelter. “Sadly, no one has yet come forward to offer Ace a forever home,” Dunweber said at the time.
What Dunweber could never have predicted, however, was what would happen next. When Ace’s story was published by Newsweek, it touched the hearts of thousands of animal lovers, including Carli Gaetano from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Ace traveled across the Atlantic, and Carli Gaetano (right) was waiting for him. It cost thousands to get Ace over to the U.S. but it was all worth it for his new owner.
Gaetano already had two rescue dogs, including Trevor, whom she saved from a kill shelter the day he was due to be euthanized in part because of his age and chronic health issues but also to make space. “I wanted to save him because I knew he didn’t have much of a chance of being rescued in time with his ailments,” Gaetano said. “I root for the underdog.”
Even so, after reading Newsweek‘s story about Ace in late November, Gaetano immediately called the shelter to ask about adopting him. She was told that another family from the U.S. who read the story had already reserved Ace for adoption, but she knew things often change.
“I didn’t lose hope and knew there was a chance he would become available again,” Gaetano said. By late January, the situation had changed: Ace was available for adoption again.
“That day, I started the process of getting him adopted, figuring out travel plans, buying his food and water bowls, bed, toys, etcetera, and figuring out the financials,” Gaetano said.
“The shelter staff started socializing him more with other dogs and cats, and I kept in touch with the shelter staff and received updates on Ace every couple of days with pictures and videos and his progress.”
Gaetano was under no illusions that bringing Ace over from Spain to the U.S. would be costly, but she was determined to change his circumstances for the better, whatever it took.
“I knew an international adoption was going to be pricey, but all I want is for Ace to have a home and family of his own,” Gaetano said. “So I started selling my fine jewelry to have more funds for Ace. That stuff is just material, and Ace is a life, a brave, pure, innocent life.”
Ace’s shelter, TripleA, played its part too, though, setting up an online fundraiser that raised just over $1,600 to go towards the costs of ending his near-two-year stay there. Gaetano cannot speak highly enough of the efforts made by the shelter’s staff and volunteers.
“After I got many quotes from airline travel companies to get Ace flown here, the shelter looked into it and found a very nice transportation company that was a former Triple A shelter adopter who has significantly lowered the cost for me to get Ace home safely,” Gaetano said. “The travel company that helped make his travels safe and seamless was Premier Pet Travel, and I give them a big shoutout.”
Finally, on March 26, Ace arrived at Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C. following a flight that took him from Malaga in Spain to London, in the U.K., for an overnight layover before arriving on U.S. soil.
Gaetano drove four-and-a-half hours to meet Ace. The minute she laid eyes on him, she knew it had all been worth it. “From the moment I picked him up, he was loving and sweet and so well behaved,” Gaetano said. “He was a sweet little angel in the car ride home and was greeted by his puppy brothers with lots of love! He is such a good boy and soooo handsome!”
Ace Monroe Domino Gaetano Cappalonga, to give him his new, full adopted name, is already proving a much-welcomed addition to the family. “My other two rescue dogs are in love with Ace, and they all play and sleep together,” Gaetano said. “Ace enjoys having his own bed and blankets, his puppy brothers and kitty brother, his spa music and loves snuggles and body rubs!”
Gaetano is grateful to Newsweek for highlighting Ace’s story. “This dog has been through so much, and I am so amazed at his resilience and strength and how brave he is,” she said.
More than anything, though, Gaetano is happy to have given Ace’s story what it was missing: a happy ending.