The following story is a finalist in the Rescue to Royalty Challenge. Three grand prize winners will receive a $250 shopping spree, while a shelter of their choosing will be awarded $2,000 in cash and needed supplies! You can read more stories here!

We had been searching for a dog after the loss of our precious Gizmo and as a friend for our other dog Pearl who had become very sad after his passing. We had looked at a few dogs online, but they had been adopted.

DOG. PHOTO: PIXABAY

A wonderful volunteer asked what we were looking for in a dog and pointed us toward a young girl named Vashti who had been with the rescue for over six months. She was constantly overlooked because she was black (common problem in the rescue world). She came from a shelter in Grand Cayman.

They sent us a photo of her and she looked almost exactly like Gizmo, the dog we had recently lost. We took Pearl to meet her, and the two of them hit it off immediately.

DOG. PHOTO: PIXABAY

Once we got her home, we realized that she had many of the same personality traits as Gizmo, and after getting her intake paperwork, we saw that she had the same birthday as Gizmo. It seemed as though the stars had aligned and that Gizmo had sent us our new furry family member.

Vashti recently turned 13 years old (or so we think) and she is living her best life with her new sister Pinky. The name Vashti is a Persian name that means beautiful. We feel that she fits her name perfectly.

PHOTO: WENDI SPLETTSTOESZER

This story was submitted by Wendi Splettstoeszer in support of Spotty Dog Rescue. You can read more Rescue to Royalty Challenge stories here!