Check Out Gaby Ortega’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gaby Ortega.

Hi Gaby, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was just a kid in Cuba when I made a promise to myself: I’d help the street dogs no one else cared about. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. When people asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I’d say, “I want a big farm full of dogs so I can help the ones no one else cares about.” I meant it then, and I still mean it now.

One day, my best friend Glenda and I saw a dog searching for food. We decided to follow her—and she led us to a hole in the ground where her six tiny puppies were hiding. We were just kids. We loved them, but we had no idea what to do. Still, we knew one thing for sure: we weren’t leaving them there. We built them a little shelter, fed them, and found them all homes—including mama, who lived with a neighbor until she passed from old age.

We used to walk around the neighborhood with all six puppies and their mom. I’ll never forget the look in her eyes—so full of gratitude and relief. She knew we were helping her babies, and she was so happy. That feeling is something I still carry with me.

After that, I moved to Miami and went to school. Life got busy, but that fire in me never faded. Years later, I came to Colorado—this beautiful, wild state—and started fostering. And suddenly, everything clicked. Fostering filled a space in my heart I didn’t even know was empty.

But after a few years, I realized just fostering wasn’t enough. I was watching more and more dogs being put down—not because they weren’t adoptable, but because there wasn’t enough funding, space, or support. That’s when I started Lungo Animal Project—a way to raise donations, fund vet care, support fosters, and give rescues like All Aboard Rescue the lifeline they need to keep saying yes to saving lives.

I didn’t start this just to help—I started it because I couldn’t sit back and watch them die.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Rescue is raw. It’s heavy. It breaks your heart and somehow fills it at the same time. I’ve seen dogs so scared they won’t lift their heads, bodies covered in burns, dogs and cats in their bones and souls crushed by what humans did to them. Watching them heal is everything—but it’s not easy.

One of the hardest parts is seeing the number of dogs shelters put down every single day. Sometimes we don’t have enough funds, fosters, or resources to save them in time. Knowing that some of them didn’t make it—not because they were broken, but because the system failed them—is something that stays with me.

And honestly, some of the most emotional moments come when I foster the medical or shutdown dogs we rescue. I watch their healing and celebrate their progress, but I also feel every bit of what they went through. It’s hard not to think about the pain they experienced before they got to me. Even when they’re safe, I can still see their fear. It takes weeks for them to decompress, and while they learn to trust again—I carry their past with me too.

The begging for donations, the late nights, the helpless moments when you wish you could do more—it’s brutal. But I keep going. Because they deserve someone who won’t give up on them.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
By day, I’m a loan processor in mortgage company, Pulte Mortgage were the support my protect 100% and have shown me what a great animal supporters they are. . By heart, I’m a rescuer. I created Lungo Animal Project to raise funds and give a second chance to the dogs most people overlook—the scared ones, the broken ones, the ones with no time left. I don’t care about being different from others. I care about staying open to every chance to save a life. I’m proud of every dog we’ve pulled from the brink. And if people know me as the girl who’s always covered in dog hair and fighting for animals? That’s exactly who I want to be.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I see a wave coming—a stronger, louder community rising up for the voiceless. A world where fostering becomes normal, where people donate without hesitation, and where no one stays quiet when an animal needs help. I see more awareness, more collaboration, and more people choosing to be part of the solution.

Personally, I see myself with a big piece of land so I can have a home full of love and a yard filled with foster dogs—giving more rescues the space, time, and healing they need before finding their forever homes. Rescue isn’t a phase—it’s a movement. And it’s only getting stronger.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lungo_animal_project?igsh=MWpnbHEzeG13dzh0aA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?
• LinkedIn: https://linktr.ee/lungoanimalproject
• Other: https://gofund.me/7b90af85

Image Credits
Lo’s Lens
Lauren
McDonough
Website: LosLens.com
Email: LosLens@LosLens.com