When Jerry Espinosa first looked into the eyes of Kiowa, the yellow Labrador retriever, he started to cry.
The canine reminded him of the beloved lab his family had for over 12 years before he died.
"We had him for 12 years, and he died, and it really hurt Jerry's heart," said Dena, Jerry's wife. "So we didn't want a dog for a while because it hurt."
That changed when Dena saw a post from Johnjay Van Es, a radio personality who rescues dogs and finds them homes with the hashtag #LovePup.
The post showed the yellow lab lying on the dirt with the following caption: "Picking up this purebred lab. 8 months old. Has all its papers and a DVD about his history. The people paid over $2,000 for it and they didn't think it would get that big so they kept him chained in the backyard. He sleeps in the dirt or on a concrete slab. I can't take that! Had to get him tonight. I'm on my way!! #LovePup"
Dena sent a message telling Johnjay that she was in Tucson and that her family would love to have him. She didn't think she would get a response, since there were other comments on the post before hers.
Kiowa quickly became part of the Espinoza family.
"Johnjay messaged me that we could get him right now," Dena said. "He was in Tucson. Within two hours we went to this house, and when we got out, the dog was so excited ... Jerry bent down and petted him and then had to walk away. He started to cry. He really felt it ... He felt like, 'This is the one. It will give me closure on the other one and (help me) open up to loving a family dog again.'"
The Espinosa family took the dog home that same day.
Jerry, who served in the United States Army, named him Kiowa, after an army helicopter.
"Jerry and I had always wanted another lab, but could never afford the couple thousand dollars," Dena said. "It was kinda meant to be because it was so easy ... They saw instantly how touched Jerry was and they were like, 'Yeah you are the ones.'"
Kiowa is playful, energetic and great with the Espinosa's three children, Dena said.
"He has opened up my heart to love another dog after I lost my last fur buddy," Jerry said. "It took a while, but now he's family."
