Top 10 Happy Tails of 2023: Meet Oso

As 2023 comes to a close, we're taking a look back at all of the lives that we’ve saved thanks to your support. While there are really more than 950 stories we could tell, we've chosen 10 dogs to highlight that include long stays, medical cases, seniors and a newborn puppy. Thank you for making each of these stories possible, and for being part of another amazing year of lifesaving in 2024!

Today’s Happy Tails is not just about dogs; it’s about the magic that happens when furry friends become family and love surprises us when we least expect it.

Alicia and her partner adopted their first MPR dog Luna, in 2017. Over the past few years they thought about adding another pup to their family of three, so when our Scooby Doo litter popped up on our website and social media their hearts swooned. Alicia and Christian saw little Shaggy romping around with his siblings and fell in love. As soon as they saw his photo they spent the night making sure they were really ready to commit to raising a puppy. By the next Saturday adoption event they were on their way to meet Shaggy with Luna in tow. Within a few hours they had the most cuddly six-pound puppy, now named Oso (the spanish word for ‘bear,’ an homage to the Chicago Bears and The Cubs), coming home with them.

Alicia and Christian spent the next few months in puppy land: endless energy and the coziest of cuddles. They learned that Oso loved to dig in the sand, sprint on the beach, and go for long hikes. He loved to cuddle in one of their laps and absolutely adores his big sister, Luna. The four of them became the perfect family. So why not lock it in and make it official?

That August, Alicia and Christian took their MPR pups for their daily walk along the water. With the two pups in tow and the sun shining down, it seemed like a beautiful, but totally typical summer day. As they rounded a corner they were met by a tall man with a camera.

“Excuse me, may I take a photo of your dogs quickly?”

It was Elias from The Dogist, who Alicia quickly recognized as she was a fan of the famous Instagram account holder and photographer. He asked them their dogs names, breed mixes, and how old they were. As he knelt down to take Luna and Oso’s photo, Christian knelt down on one knee. He took out a ring box from his pocket and proposed to Alicia. Luna and Oso’s mom and dad were engaged! And The Dogist photographed it all for everyone to see. Of course, the Internet went wild over it all, a ‘picture perfect’ moment for our pups and their parents!