The first time Sabii Hector met Mocha, a rescued dog with a heartbreaking injury in 2022, she immediately knew this pup was something special. Despite her injury, Mocha radiated sweetness and determination, quickly proving herself to be one of the most resilient souls Hector had ever encountered.
"Mocha was found on the side of the road with a severely broken leg in mid-October 2022," Hector shared with The Dodo. "Thankfully, she didn’t need surgery, but for a while, we were considering amputation."
Against all odds, Mocha made a remarkable recovery, bouncing back as if her injury had never happened. Just when Hector thought she had seen it all, Mocha surprised her once again—this time with her natural instinct to care for a tiny foster kitten named Grogu, just days after meeting him.
"Grogu was only four days old and so tiny," Hector said. "At first, I kept him away from her because I wasn’t sure how she’d react, but that lasted just one day. She sniffed him, licked his face, and seemed so worried about him."
Though Mocha had never been a mother, and Grogu was an entirely different species, she took on the role of his surrogate mom with ease. She did everything a new mother would—cleaning him, watching over him during feedings, and even trying to help him go potty, just as other mother animals do.
"Almost every feeding, she’d watch so closely, waiting for her turn to clean up the milk from his face," Hector explained. "Her motherly instincts kicked in, even though she’d never had puppies of her own. It was incredible to watch."
With Mocha's love and care, Grogu thrived, growing into a playful and healthy kitten. When the time came for him to be adopted, Mocha gave him one last kiss and sent him off to his new home in Pennsylvania, thanks to Montego Bay Animal Haven.
But Mocha’s story didn’t end with Grogu. When more foster kittens arrived, Mocha welcomed them with the same tender care. Interestingly, while she doted on kittens, she showed little interest in the puppies that came through.
"Every now and then, we’d get a bottle-fed puppy, but Mocha wasn’t the least bit interested," Hector said. "But kittens? She’d light up and become so protective. Since last year, she’s helped me raise around 20 to 30 kittens."
Though Mocha enjoyed playing with the puppies once they grew older, her heart always belonged to her feline foster babies. Each day, she’d help with feedings, often waking up at 6:30 a.m. and staying alert until the last feeding around 2 a.m. If the kittens played too rough or an older one bullied a younger sibling, Mocha would step in to restore order.
"If the kittens are playing and she thinks it’s getting too rough, she’ll separate them," Hector said. "If an older kitten is being mean to a younger one, she tries to remove them from the situation."
Hector remains amazed by Mocha’s nurturing instincts and believes that caring for kittens has been as healing for Mocha as it was for the kittens themselves.
"Raising kittens gave Mocha the chance to offer love and protection, something she likely didn’t experience in her own early life," Hector said. "She’s grown into a protective, loving dog who won’t stand for anyone being mean to her babies."
Mocha’s journey from a traumatized, injured stray to a nurturing protector is a testament to her strength, compassion, and the healing power of love.
