Reyna: Queen Canine Angel

The weather-beaten, tired, and downtrodden older gentleman pleaded with a forlorn hope in his voice, "Please take her for free. I can tell that you are a good person." I wanted to argue the point because I didn't necessarily agree with it. Essentially I was in Mexico to buy drugs, not adopt a pet. An unexpected encounter on a Tijuana bridge with a random stranger shifts the author's perspective, transforming a past marred by questionable decisions into a pivotal moment of change for the future. A selfish, dogged quest for a prescription painkiller quickly evolves into a life-or-death decision redirecting him into a world of sacrifice, selflessness, and unconditional love - thanks to a Tijuana local and his sick, damaged dog. A tainted mind over a polluted river becomes purified by a twist of fate and a necessary intervention, in a watershed moment, saving two lives in the process and positively impacting many others.