On a wet and gloomy day, Mayane Rodrigues saw something beautiful happen outside the window of her apartment in Brazil.
From a distance, on the street below, Rodrigues spotted a young girl stopping on the rainy sidewalk while walking home from school. She’d set down her umbrella, took off her backpack and then removed her jacket.
Then Rodrigues noticed a sopping-wet stray puppy at the girl’s feet — and realized it was all for her.
Here’s what happened next:
Rodrigues watched as the girl cradled the dog in her arms and continued on her way. To her, she was like an angel.
“It all happened so quickly. It was very emotional,” Rodrigues told The Dodo. “I sent the video to a friend who, shared it to a neighborhood group, and then I found out who the angel was.”
Her name is Cibely Stiegelmair. She’s 13 years old. And that day, she saved a life.
“I was startled when she arrived with the puppy because she was very sweaty and wet from the rain,” Rejane Stiegelmair, Cibely’s mom, told The Dodo. “There was blood on her shirt. I thought she had been hurt, but she told me she found the puppy injured.”
Fortunately, the puppy wasn’t too badly hurt. It was nothing that a little love and care couldn’t heal.
Having seen the puppy there all alone, Cibley knew she had to offer it herself.
“Cibely has a very good heart. She feels very sorry for stray dogs,” Rejane said. “If she could bring them all home, she would.”
The dog, whom Cibely named Pretinha, has been welcomed into the family’s home with open arms.
No one knows for certain how Pretinha came to be stranded on the sidewalk that day, but one thing is clear — thanks to Cibely, her future has never looked brighter.
“As parents, we are proud of Cibely and always have been,” her mom said. “But now we’re even more so!”
