Blind Dog Who Clung To Shelter Worker Has The Best Life Now

She wagged her tail as her new mom signed the papers to adopt her.

Old, blind and lost at a kill shelter, Muneca didn't seem like she had much left to hold on to.

Until the first person to show her kindness came along.

John Hwang

And then, the 18-year-old dachshund refused to let go.

John Hwang

Last week, Elaine Seamans, a longtime volunteer at the Baldwin Park Animal Care Center in Los Angeles, was famously photographed with Muneca at the shelter's death row.

"When I got to the shelter, Elaine was already holding the dog," John Hwang, the California man who took the picture, told The Dodo at the time. "The dog was clinging on to her."

John Hwang

But Muneca's story didn't end with a bittersweet moment at what seemed the end of the line. Hwang's photograph moved thousands to share her plight.

Just two days after being dumped at the shelter, the Frosted Faces Foundation stepped up to get Muneca out of there.

Frosted Faces

Suddenly, a dog who seemed to have no one had people all over the world lining up to take her home. She found the perfect fit with Amy Gann. Literally.

Frosted Faces

"We screened a lot of people and talked to all their references," Kelly Smíšek, executive director of Frosted Faces, tells The Dodo. "We home-checked a bunch of people.

"By the time we approved someone and they drove to San Diego, I met them, I was very nervous. I thought, 'I hope we picked the right person.' And immediately, it was, 'Oh my Gosh. I'm so glad she's going home with you.'"

It turned out Muneca had a lot more memories to make outside of that shelter. Even before she found her real home. Like when she soaked in a much-needed bath.

Frosted Faces

Or when she sprawled out on a picnic blanket, chomping on a treat.

Frosted Faces

"I can't put her down," Gann wrote to Smíšek in a text message. "I have very close family and we pass her along like a new baby in the family."

In fact, Gann even made a sling for Muneca, so she can keep her close to her while doing chores around the house.

Muneca may not be able to see the setting sun on a California beach, but she can surely feel the warmth that will embrace her for the rest of her days.

Frosted Faces

Want to help Frosted Faces in its mission to give countless senior dogs like Muneca the happy ending they deserve? Consider making a donation here.

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