They fell in love from the first moment! (Video)

No matter how many dogs you come across in your life, each one is unique and it’s doubly hard to see those ones go. Mario Rodriguez has had pit bulls his whole life. Rodriguez absolutely loves the breed—every pit bull he has ever had has been as sweet as can be. In 2018, Rodriguez lost his beloved pit bull King. Rodriguez had loved King more than anything, and he was devastated by his loss. “It felt like a part of my soul left with him,” he said. “I couldn’t save him, but I’m gonna save a couple for him.” Rodriguez is a truck driver and one day, he was making a delivery in California when he received a text from his wife. She sent him a link to a pit bull who was up for adoption in New York. Rodriguez fell in love with the pit bull, Hickory, the first moment he saw him.

Rodriguez immediately decided that he wanted to adopt this sweet dog. “I told my wife, ‘I need to go get him. I’m on a mission to rescue this dog.’” That feeling got even more urgent when he learned that Hickory was on the shelter’s kill list. Rodriguez contacted his employer, and thankfully, they were able to schedule a delivery route for him that went through New York. Then, Rodriguez started driving the 2,800 miles cross-country. He called the shelter and told them he was coming, but he was still terrified they would euthanize Hickory before he got there. “I was pushing through traffic and calling the shelter every single day, and by the third day, they knew my number,” Rodriguez said. “They were like, ‘He’s still here, Mario, he’s still here!’” It took Rodriguez six days to get to Hickory, but when he got there and parked, everyone knew who he was and they led him straight to Hickory, who looked like he’d been waiting.

2,800 miles separated from each other

“I parked my truck and rushed inside,” Rodriguez said. “As soon as Hickory saw me, he literally almost jumped through the kennel door. I said, ‘That’s it, buddy! We’re going home!’”Rodriguez was amazed by how quickly Hickory bonded with him. It almost seemed like the dog had been waiting for him! “It was so weird. We had an instant connection. I’ve never had a dog get attached to me that quickly in my whole life.”Rodriguez was so happy that he drove across the country to save Hickory—it was clear the two of them were meant to be together. Not only were Rodriguez and Hickory a great fit, Hickory fit in with the canines and humans at home like he was a missing piece of the family puzzle. Watch the video, it’s amazing how quickly Hickory bonded with him. It almost seemed like the dog had been waiting for him!