While walking near her home in Peru a few weeks ago, Vanessa Grandez noticed a small, motionless shape by the side of the road. As she got closer, her heart sank.
It was a dog — injured, alone, and seemingly lifeless. He had been hit by a car and left there with no one to help.
“When he was run over, nobody helped him,” Grandez told The Dodo.
But that changed the moment she arrived.
Grandez gently scooped the battered pup into her arms and rushed him to a veterinarian.
X-rays revealed devastating news: his spine had been broken in the accident. Emergency surgery was his only hope.
Determined to give him a fighting chance, Grandez launched a fundraiser to cover the medical costs.
She also gave him a name: Peluchin — a soft, sweet name for the brave little fighter.
Even after his surgery, Peluchin had a long road ahead.
He moved by dragging his back legs, unable to stand or walk.
But what he lacked in mobility, he made up for in spirit. His personality began to shine in Grandez’s care — full of joy, energy, and determination.
To help Peluchin take his first steps toward recovery, Grandez and her boyfriend Sebastian got creative. They built him a custom wheelchair, carefully designed to support his body and encourage movement in his back legs.
“Because Peluchin was always crawling, we wanted him to practice and feel his back legs,” Grandez said. “We decided to make him a wheelchair.”
It worked. Little by little, Peluchin began to gain strength — and confidence.
“He has improved a lot with the wheelchair,” Grandez said. “You can see he has more energy and the desire to walk again.”
Although she couldn’t keep pets long-term, Grandez wasn’t finished helping Peluchin.
She found him a loving forever family, and after his stitches were removed, she brought him to his new home.
Of course, she still visits — after all, she was the one who nursed him back to life.
“I was like his mother during his recovery,” she said.
Today, Peluchin is thriving. He still uses his wheelchair for support, but his recovery continues — and so does Grandez’s unwavering hope.
“I love Peluchin very much,” she said. “I hope that one day he’ll be able to run and jump into my arms.”
From the roadside to a home filled with love, Peluchin’s story is a reminder that compassion can change a life — and that sometimes, the smallest act of kindness can mean the world.
