Man Adopts Dog with Terminal Cancer: 'I Just Couldn't Leave Her'

By Amanda Thomason November 8, 2019 at 12:40pm

In April, a dog named Mocha lost everything she knew. Her owner had passed away, and with no one else to take her in, the dog found herself at the local humane society.

Months passed, and no one adopted the homeless dog.

And there were reasons: Not only was Mocha a senior at 10 years old, she also had malignant melanoma and the clock was ticking.

But then a man named Enoc Lopez heard about her. Lopez had a kind heart, and told WISH-TV that it was over once he heard her sad tale.

“Something in me triggered,” he said. “I just couldn’t leave her.”

This isn’t Lopez’s first brush with difficult cases, either. He’s a “repeat offender” in the best possible way.

He adopted a deaf dog named Amy 11 years ago, and he adopted a human boy named Allen a year ago, deciding to go it as a single dad and make life better for both his charges.

“A lot of dogs out there need a good home,” he said. “There’s a lot of kids in the foster care system that need a good home.”

He knows that the time he and his son have with Mocha is limited, but that didn’t scare him off.

“We always expect to leave other people to do it, but sometimes you have to take matters in your own hands and just do it,” he said.

“She might not live for a long time but at least she’ll be able to live in a big yard surrounded by people that will love and pet her and where she doesn’t need anything until that day comes. But until then, make her comfortable and make her happy.”

Lopez is also viewing this as a great way to teach his son about making the most of your time.

“It’s a life lesson that I want to teach my son,” he explained. “Everything dies but at the end, it’s the quality of life that you live that really matters.”

IndyHumane, the shelter that had Mocha, posted an adoption update on Facebook, and Lopez reassured readers that Mocha was “doing great and adjusting!”