13-Year-Old Saves 40 Pets Through Puerto Rico Rescue

When Claire Aharon spotted a skinny dog trailing her family up a Puerto Rico hiking trail last April, she had no idea he'd inspire her to save dozens of lives.

The 13-year-old from Ridgefield, Connecticut, was hiking to a waterfall when the stray boxer-pitbull mix approached. Despite his scars and emaciated frame, he wagged his tail hopefully at each group of hikers, searching for food and affection.

"He was so skinny and just wandering from group to group looking for food and love," Claire said. Her family brought him to their vacation rental, where a local veterinarian discovered he had heartworm and had likely been used as a bait dog in dogfighting.

Claire named him Milo and knew immediately she had to help. Working with her family, she arranged foster care and medical treatment in Puerto Rico, then flew Milo to Connecticut once he was healthy enough to travel.

After fostering Milo at her Ridgefield home and finding him a forever family in upstate New York, the then-seventh grader did something remarkable. She launched Rock Bottom Rescue in May 2025 to help more animals who'd hit their lowest point.

Her original goal was to save 50 animals by 2030. She's already rescued and rehomed 40 in less than a year, with six more coming soon.

"I hope we can keep giving more and more animals a second chance," said Claire, now an eighth grader at Scotts Ridge Middle School. Her new goal is 200 animals by 2030.

Sunny's Take

Claire's backyard now features a heated doghouse where she fosters rescued dogs while working to find them homes. She's traveled to Puerto Rico multiple times, coordinating veterinary care before flying animals to the United States.

Her family has become her rescue team. They share their home with several "foster fails," including Pipa from Costa Rica and Lola from Panama, plus Frankie the dachshund-chihuahua mix from Puerto Rico and three rescue cats.

The organization's mission says it all: giving second chances to "stray dogs and cats who never had a first." What started with one dog on a hiking trail has become a lifeline for dozens of abandoned and abused animals across the Caribbean and beyond.

One vacation encounter turned into 40 happy endings, with hundreds more on the horizon.

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