08/18/2022
Grab the tissues 🥹
"My husband and I have been volunteering with a dog/cat rescue for around 10 years and have fostered 260 dogs and 8 cats and have always had a soft spot for the seniors. So in 2015 we got the call that they had 25 small breed dogs that were taken from a hoarder in GA and many were seniors and they needed fosters. We, of course, agreed to take a 3 lb little affenpinscher girl. She was at the time 12 years old, very malnourished to the point she had lost a lot of muscle but man was she a spitfire! When she arrived she was in a crate with four other small dogs from the same household and she would not let anyone get near them! It was hilarious that she only had one tooth but was so protective.
When she arrived at our home, we thought, well let's give her time to decompress and feel comfortable. That lasted 10 minutes where she made herself comfortable in my lap and became my protector and joy and at that moment I decided she was home and we named her Abby. We had four other dogs and she was the top dog! She never got past 4 lbs due to muscle loss and then she developed Canine dysfunction (doggie dementia). Even though she tolerated the big dogs she had a soft spot for my senior chihuahua Baxter and they spent most of their time sleeping together. She was the sweetest and did great with all the fosters that came into our home.
In 2019 her dementia was over taking her where she would not eat and just circle or stand in front of walls and at night she would not sleep and just shake so we decided to let her go and finally have the peace she deserved. Abby crossed in 2019 at the age of 16. I think about her and MISS her everyday and always talk about the joys of adopting a senior dog. No matter how much time you will get with them every second is worth it.
-Barbara"
