One of our founders, Alana Conolly, has a deep passion for all animals, but especially dogs. Her dog, Mara, had been adopted from the Anguilla Animal Rescue Foundation, so whenever she visited the island, she volunteered at the shelter. However, the rescue calling wasn't unique to Anguilla. When the family was on vacation to Mexico in 2021, the then-16-year-old was devastated to see the streets littered with neglected, abused, and sick dogs. She then made it her mission to volunteer at a rescue while she was there. 

That's how Alana found Cachorrilandia. The shelter was made up of cinderblocks for walls, tarps for ceilings, and dirt and cement for a floor. Housing over 350 dogs, the shelter was overwhelmed, underfunded, and in desparate need of help. Despite the heartbreaking scene in front of her, Alana was still determined to do what she could for these dogs. Walking through the endless runs of dogs, one in particular had caught her eye. While all of the other dogs in the run had run up to Alana for attention, one was pushed down in the excitement and defeatedly retreated to the plastic dog house in the back. She was weaker, skinnier, and more timid than the others. Alana was immediately drawn to this dog when she saw her frail little tail wag slightly. She picked the dog up and just held her for a while. The owner of the rescue claimed that the puppy was depressed and the five of us ended up leaving the rescue in tears.

Later that night, Alana texted her mom, Cheryl, that she couldn't stop thinking about this dog. Knowing we couldn't adopt anymore dogs, Cheryl posted the images of Alana holding the puppy on Facebook, pleading for someone to save her. 

No one expected the response the post received. Hundreds of followers commented saying, "Bring her home," "Do whatever it takes," and "Someone help her." Soon enough, supporters started to Venmo Cheryl, contributing to the costs of bringing the puppy home, with some even offering to foster her.

A week later, the family was sneaking the puppy (whom Alana had named Nakia) into the AirBnB, and booked her flight home to Rochester, NY. 

We ended up finding a home for Nakia just 10 minutes away from our house, where she could live her happily ever after with a wonderful new family. Despite Nakia's happy ending, Alana, Cheryl, and Alana's sister, Keara, were still thinking about all the other dogs on the streets of Mexico who may not get as lucky as Nakia did. After some reseaerch, they found that there are between 18 and 23 million homeless dogs in Mexico. They just couldn't stop after saving one dog.

In 2022, with the help of a generous donor, the Conolly family registered Wags and Wings Dog Rescue as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to save Mexican street dogs and give them a second chance at life with loving adopters in the United States. Since then, the family has been working tirelessly to give as many dogs as possible the life they deserve. 

It would be unrealisitic to say we are going to rescue all 18 million dogs from Mexico, but in honor of Nakia, we are going to give it our best shot.