GrubHub Driver and Daughter Bring Lunch to an Animal Shelter, Leave With a Rescue Dog
Alan Moncayo is a Navy veteran and single dad. While heās between jobs, heās been making ends meet by delivering food with GrubHub. Often, he takes his 5-year-old Sabrina along with him while heās working.
In February, he was called to deliver lunch to the animal shelter for Fairfax County, Virginia. And yes, he left with a dog. But no, itās not what you think. Adopting the puppy wasnāt even Sabrinaās idea.
Moncayo, 51, said that as he walked up to the shelter a face popped into the window and stared at him. And he missed a beat because it was like seeing a ghost: the dog looked exactly like his beloved Rusty who he lost 30 years ago.
āTheyāre identical..Rusty was exactly the same stature and buildā¦Heās beautiful.ā
Itās not that Sabrina didnāt want a dog. But Moncayo had decided they couldnāt afford one. āBeing a single parent, and with inflation being so highā¦itās not in my budget to pay for a dog.ā But the shelter drove a hard bargain. Moncayo happened to walk in during their āAdoption Bowlā Super Bowl weekend event. Volunteers told him they were waiving the adoption fees for big dogs. He softened a bit, and asked them if he and his daughter could play with the 65-pound pit bull mix.
āRight away, he played with my daughter. He was very sensitive and gentle..This dog is unbelievable.ā
Alan and Sabrina Moncayo learned the 6-year-old dog is named Jihoo. And they learned something else: heād been in the shelter for 240 days. The average is 24, but big dogs and pit bulls are hard to place.
In that time, heād won over the shelterās workers. Rebecca Cavedon, communication manager for the countyās Department of Animal Sheltering said, āHe was very special to all of our staff and volunteersā¦Heās just an amazingly gentle, sweet, kind boy.ā
Moncayo decided to take Jihoo home. The shelter offer Moncayo a crate, dog food, toys, and even a leash. āIt was a no-brainer. It was a done deal,ā
Jihoo settled right in with his new family. Reportedly, he enjoys belly rubs, playing fetch, and licking faces. He is āa very funny dogā and makes Sabrina and Alan Moncayo laugh all day long.
One day, they got a call to deliver lunch to the Fairfax County shelter again. So the duo grabbed Jihoo and brought him back to say hi to the staff.
Moncayo said he and Sabrina have no regrets, āIt was like an empty space in my heart that just needed to be filled upā¦It had to be healed, and now itās filled with so much love for our beautiful new dogā¦We feel like a complete family now.ā