In Rio, rescue dogs watch out for their rescuers

By MARIO LOBAO
Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — In Rio de Janeiro, two rescue dogs have turned local mascots and budding online influencers after joining their rescuers’ ranks, wooing their growing audience, one bark at a time. Corporal Oliveira, a four-year-old dog with short brown hair, turned up one morning in 2019 at a police station on Rio’s Governador Island, injured and weak. He has since been adopted by the officers and has his own Instagram profile with more than 45,000 fervent followers. A dozen miles from there, another rescue dog has also turned mascot. Older, and slightly less adventurous than Corporal Oliveira, Caramello’s online efforts have focused on drawing attention to a wide range of good causes and campaigns.