Comox Valley's Luna, a rescue from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, is currently sitting in second place in a contest that sees her up against dogs from all over North America.
The three-year-old chihuahua mix has made her way up the ranks in Modern Dog’s annual "America’s Favorite Dog" competition. The feisty, underbite-sporting girl has risen from the top ten, to the top five and is setting her sights on first place.
Rebecca Lyons, Luna’s human, laughs as she recounts her favourite things about Luna.
“I think it’s the way she looks at you sometimes. And if her lips are curved or not, her underbite will show. It’s quite funny. She just gives you this stare that says ‘I’m ready for food’ or ‘I’m ready for a walk.’ She also has these piercing eyes. When I first got her I had to get used to that. Her eyes are so unusual,” shared Lyons. “She’s always doing something funny, she likes to run off with my socks.”
Luna has made her way through Basic Training at PetSmart, moving forward to Intermediate in February, after which Lyons has plans to put her through training to become a certified Therapy Dog.
“I’ve talked to a couple of places that do that. There’s a lady in Qualicum who does the therapy dog training once your dog has been through the first two training sessions.”
If Luna goes on to take top prize in Modern Dog’s contest, Lyons wants to give back to the rescue that she got Luna from, The Sula Society as well as set up a veterinary fund in case Luna needs any care in the future. A playmate for Luna is also on the horizon, though Lyons is unsure if she will adopt locally or go through Sula Society again.
“I wanted to adopt local but it all depends on where you find the right fit. The Comox Valley SPCA mostly had large dogs and Sula did such a wonderful job. They shared pictures and videos of Luna, so even though I didn’t get to meet her at the beginning, I felt like I knew her,” explained Lyons.
There was quite the ordeal of getting little Luna to her forever home from the rescue society. A ‘Flight Angel’ had to be found - a human companion that could bring Luna on their flight back from Mexico to an airport close to the Valley. While awaiting her flight with her angel, Luna escaped and spent days back on the run while Sula Society, neighbours and hotel guests all joined in to bring her back.
“Luna was about to fly out the next day and she escaped right before the flight. She scooted out the door, she is pretty fast. Then I got the call, my dog was missing!”
It's not surprising that Luna was able to escape and take off from her Flight Angel. Lyons shares how Luna gets “the zoomies” and is unstoppable.
“Her little butt goes down and she just flies! I’ve never seen zoomies like that before, I’ve had other dogs before, but her zoomies are quite entertaining. Afterwards, she’s panting really hard, but she might go again.”
Lyons wonders about what Luna’s life might have been like on the streets of Mexico, not knowing what she had to do everyday to survive.
“I wish they could talk to us and tell us their story, you know, what they’ve been through, so we could help them with whatever issues they may have. Luna has a scar under her chin, I think they did something to her on the street.”
To vote for Luna, visit: https://americasfavpet.com/2025/luna-3c18.
