Megan Mannarelli-Martin and her husband haven’t had a vacation in years, but recently, they’ve finally found time. The couple ran a special needs rescue called Rafiki’s Rescue, and it was hard to get out of it. They even brought in three rescue cats just to make it work. With the car loaded and the cats settling in, they embark on a road trip excited to relax and recharge.

Apparently, however, rescue efforts were everywhere as they found an abandoned dog running in the middle of a very busy road after their four-hour vacation.

At the time of the trip, they were far from anywhere, so the dog, who would later be named Kevin, was likely abandoned. They knew they couldn’t leave her there and immediately went into rescue mode.

“When we saw Kevin, he was scared but very interested in being rescued,” Mannarelli-Martin told The Dodo. “It took an hour to gain her trust. If that would cause her to become more scared and run back to the middle of the road, I couldn’t chase her. So I sat on the road divider in the middle and let her come to me for an hour, Then she finally got close enough that I was confident enough to catch her.”

After Kevin was safe, they settled her and scanned her microchip. Since she didn’t, they checked local online forums and contacted local shelters in case she had family members outside looking for her. Meanwhile, they decide the best thing do is to take her on a vacation.

They stopped to get all the supplies needed to care for her and continued on their way. Kevin was understandably scared, but the more time she spent with the rescuers, the more relaxed she became, and it didn’t take long for her to be the cutest and most excited pup.

“Given the situation, she adapted very quickly,” Mannarelli-Martin said. “She was very, very scared the first night, but also obviously grateful to be safe. On the third night, she jumped with excitement when she saw us.”

Kevin went from worrying about her life on the road to exploring Sequoia National Park with some strangers and their rescue cats, but that didn’t seem to worry her. She is happy to be included. She enjoys every stop on the road trip, especially as time goes on and she lets down her guard more. After everything she’s been through, the couple can’t believe how awesome she is. As if they were destined to find her.

“Kevin is a super love bug,” Mannarelli-Martin said. “She was happy and just wanted to be loved and hugged.”

The road trip is over and Kevin is now fully settled in her foster home. She is doing well and enjoys playing with her foster siblings, cats and dogs. She’ll soon be ready to find her forever home — unless she becomes a foster loser.

“She’s going to be adopted within a few weeks of her last vaccination — that is, if I can give her up,” Mannarelli-Martin said. “We are very attached.”

Meghan Mannarelli-Martin and her husband have been trying to get out of rescue work for days. Instead, they found themselves in the right place at the right time to change Kevin’s life.

You can follow Rafiki’s Rescue on Instagram and Facebook.