07/03/2024
This is Desoto. I fostered him over fifteen years ago when I was with a rescue that didn't pull pitties. I volunteered to foster De through the shelter in Acadia Parish and not use the rescue. (I was already having my 501c3 being worked.) I paid out of pocket for all of his vetting. He was roughly about six to eight months old. Just a pup that would have been euthanized if he'd gone back to the shelter all due to him being a pit bull mix.
When I looked at Desoto back then, I never saw the breed he was. I only saw a pup in need of help.
I took him home and cared for him with the intent to adopt him into a good family. The thing is, I couldn't part with him after he'd been with my family for months.
Two months became a year. We even gave him a birthday date.
A year turned into ten years with our handsome guy. Oh, he had his moments. Whatever trauma had happened to him as a young pup, we think came from a man who wore a hat. He was always terrified of men with hats. We had to have our guests remove their hats, and no one ever minded that. They knew it was not De's fault.
Ten years turned into a lifetime with my family. One that wasn't long enough for me.
Today, my big guy, who I love so darn much, is in home hospice care, ending his final days. I knew this was coming. Our dogs only live so long. Such a short time.
He has round-the-clock care by family and a vet. We have friends who stop by often to offer support. De is comfortable, please don't think he isn't. I've taken all measures to ensure this. I'm with him 24/7 and will not leave my home for anything. That's a solid promise I made to him.
In the coming years, I want to be an in-home hospice for aging dogs. Being that I have some medical experience caring for humans and animals, it's a fitting field for me.
Please keep my family, De, and me in your thoughts.
63 likes, 4 comments. “I'm going through a lot of emotions 😪”
