By Tamara 
Nineteen-year-old Miguel Ángel Palacios could not stand to see animals hurt.
The young man volunteered at a local animal shelter in Colombia where his family lives and rescued abandoned dogs he found in the streets. His friends knew him as an advocate for animals in need and he worked with animal welfare groups for the betterment of animals and to help find homeless dogs homes.
At just 15, he canvassed his neighborhood to collect funds for Corporación Canes Perdidos. A few weeks ago, Miguel passed away after defending a small dog from harm.
Miguel studied in Miami and was visiting his family when his brother Juan Pablo noticed that a neighbor, who had been drinking all night, was assaulting a dog early Sunday morning on May 4, 2014.
The man, Jesus Antonio Brown, was shouting that he planned to cut the neck of the dog with a machete.
According to a police report, Juan Pablo screamed and pushed the man away, but the man became aggressive. Juan Pablo ran to tell his brother and the two again attempted to rescue to the dog, but the man violently attacked them with a machete.
Miguel was seriously hurt and his brother rushed him to hospital. All three men suffered lacerations but Miguel suffered a fracture to his skull and injuries to his heart and lung. Sadly, he passed away from his wounds the next day. Brown was later arrested and now faces criminal charges.
Diana Carolina Ortiz, director of the animal shelter said of Miguel, "Miguel was a lover of life and animals. He always wanted to find homes for all the dogs."
The small dog that Miguel and his brother defended was not owned by Brown, but was owned by Albeiro Cortez and is named Jerry.
Albeiro has decided to give Jerry to Miguel's mother, Lina Maria Montoya. He said it was a difficult decision, but he thought of the pain the family was going through and felt that giving Jerry to the family is the right thing to do.
He told El Tiempo, "I am very fond of Jerry. He is a loving dog, but I understand how difficult this must be for Miguel's family...I know that Jerry will help them remember Miguel and help them heal."
Plans are now underway to establish an animal rescue foundation in Miguel's honor. Twenty-five animal rescue groups are working together to help Lina create a foundation to be named "Miguel Angel's Ark".
RIP Miguel
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