24/12/2025
**trigger warning-dog death😭🌈**
Sometimes the right choice is the one that breaks your heart the most. As I sit here in the quiet of my room after a rough day I cant help but to wonder if what my family and I are doing in the rescue world is worth the heartache that comes with it. Nights like tonight make you wonder. And although tomorrow I know Ill wake up ready to help another animal in need tonight's its heavy and raw and quite frankly it hurts.
I first met Anders down at lc4 after he had been surrendered due to some issues with the previous owners neighbor. Although he had come from another rescue they refused to take him back so he had found himself at the shelter. It was a sunny semi warm day in October and I was so excited to meet him. All I knew was he was a dane -I knew I had to bring him into rescue. Danes are such sensitive souls with no idea how big they are. They have a hard time adjusting to shelter life since they are velcro dogs and do best with a emotional support humans by their side at all times. Anders was no exception leaning his lenky bidy into mine. I brought back my oldest most calm dane to meet him a few days later. They did great so off we went the 3 of us in the van. His freedom ride didnt go quite as warm as I had planned. About 2 minutes on the express way he snapped at Nora. I corrected the behavior but knew maybe we were in for some issues. Once home my suspicions were confirmed. Although Anders was the very sweetest guy he hated the big dogs but not in a normal aggresive way Anders was so scared of them He would cower and bite at them. my personal dogs didnt understand this and ignored him most of the time. He didnt mind the cats or the small dogs and even made himself at home in their aquintence but after a few disagreements between him and my big dogs it was clear they needed to be separated at all times. With a sanctuary full and no available fosters for him we had to make it work. I was quite perplexed.
That night my daughter came home from work and as soon as they met it was clear he adored her. He lit up in a way I hadnt seen from him and he followed her around as though he had known her for his entire life. She instantly loved him which was not per the usual since Olivia is a small dog girl. She adores the littles and shares her life with her 4 spoiled chihuahuas. Anders fit right into her pack and even slept on the bed with Olivia and her littles. Really quickly we found out that Anders had severe separation anxiety (not shocking for a dane who had been through numerous homes) and when Olivia would leave for work he would panic. He chewed through door k***s and even ate through her wooden door to find her. He loved her so much and she was the only person who calmed him down. Because of this on the days she worked he would come to daycare so no other doors got eaten and he could spend time safely socializing. Life was good for Anders until Olivia got sick. Olivia has been through so much the last 6 weeks and even had emergency surgery that resulted in her needing a blood transfusion. This caused Anders to go to boarding as she healed because if his big dog aggresion issues and destruction. We knew at the sanctuary he would always be with someone and be safe! Recovery for her has been filled with pain and complications. So recovery took a bit longer than expected. As she was getting better and about to bring him back home he started to show signssomething was off. 2.5 weeks ago we noticed he started to refuse dry food. So the staff switched his food and started implementing wet food. He came to us lean initially and since he was an older guy this wasnt to crazy but the last week despite the staff at this point cooking hamburgers/chicken and veggies for him he started to lose weight drastically. We got him in to see Dr.Huff and started testing. We assumed because of his advanced age and the fact his teeth were worn down maybe he had a toothache and the dry food was hard for him to eat. What we found out gutted us. Anders had a massive tumor on his spleen. This is a sad diagnosis for any dog but as a older dog it was a death sentence. Dr.Huff explained that he is basically a ticking time bomb as these tumors rupture killing the dogs in a matter of minutes. I personally have seen clients dogs have this condition and pass away. Surgery just wasn't an option. I was shattered but even more so sad for Olivia.
I had to break the news to her. She listened to everything and I showed her the xray and explained he had an appt later that day to be euthanized. She listened and I could hear her voice tremble as she refused to take him to the scheduled euthanasia appointment and asked instead if she could have a few days with him. I couldnt say no and brought him home to her. Once home it was like he never left. They went back into their routine and spent the last 4 days cuddled up watching reality TV and eating snacks. She gave him the best foods and loved him. He was happy she was happy and the world made sense for them. I hoped we could get him through the holiday.
Tonight however he started to take a turn and we had to make a quick decision. Olivia and Shelbie took him to the vet where they fed him pizza, cheese whiz, and chocolate and let him go peacefully. No more pain, no more restrictions. He died wrapped in his girls arms in a room full of love.
Part of me is so angry. Im so angry he was surrendered in the first place and had to learn a new home, new family, entirely new life all while slowly dying from a ravenous tumor but the other part is me is so thankful they did let him go because he got to spend the remainder of his life being so loved. My daughter Olivia and my staff at the sanctuary (Sidney and Will) all adored this guy and did their very best. He died knowing warmth and love and we all loved him enough to let him go despite it breaking our hearts 💔 so Although his story was brief with us and it wasnt the ending we wanted for him he died knowing kindness, compassion, and most importantly love. Anders we love you so much and will miss you so.
If you would like to donate towards Anders euthanasia you can do so by way of our paypal- paypal.me/operationsaves. Right now we only have paid for his euthanasia but we would like to get his ashes back for Olivia. Sadly with the amount of vet bills and sanctuary costs we cannot do this for her without your help. We would need donations by tomorrow at 5 to have this done. Please remember Operation Saves is a volunteer run sanctuary. All money raised goes directly back into caring for our animals.
Special thanks to the caring staff at Maumee Emergency Vet. Your kindness and care during a very difficult time was so appreciated. We are forever greatful. Extra special thank you to Midway Animal Hospital Inc. For always being here when we need you and being transparent and honest no matter how hard the news can be.
Sweet Anders we will see you again on the other side of the rainbow bridge 🌈.
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