Rio had already developed a reputation as "the saddest dog in Detroit" by the time he entered DDR. And, in keeping with his moniker, Rio kept moving toward despair.

said Kristin:

"I didn't respond to anybody. She was standing directly in front of a corner, not looking at anyone, not answering to his call, and struggling mightily to let go of everything she had ever known.

She made a call because she realized she needed to place Rio in a foster family as soon as possible in order to give him a shot at survival and to return him to some sort of normalcy.

While some individuals might have been afraid to adopt such a challenging senior dog, DDR volunteer Ryan Callahan and his wife Tashia had no such reservations.