When Rocky came to Anne Arundel County Animal Shelter, he was already old. It took more than three years for him to find a new home, but it happened in the end.

Most senior dogs that go into animal shelters have a very hard time getting adopted.

People usually want to adopt younger dogs, figuring that they will live longer, have fewer health problems and be easier to train.

Rocky, like so many older dogs, went into a shelter at an advanced age.

When he arrived, he was 14 years old. His owner had recently died, and he was missing him so much.

The shelter volunteers did all they could to make Rocky happy, but the animal was severely depressed.

Every single day, people would come into the shelter looking for a new family member. And time after time, Rocky would get ignored in favor of younger dogs.

Then, as Rocky was approaching his fourth Christmas in the shelter, something amazing happened.

Beth and Michael were an animal-loving couple. But they didn’t think that they could take on a dog at that point in their lives. To help animals over Christmas, they decided to donate some dog food at the shelter.

So they showed up one day and noticed Rocky looking sad in his shelter.

Beth couldn’t break eye contact with Rocky. She could see a longing in his eyes.

It was like he had a tiny glimmer of hope at seeing her and her husband.

So Beth and Michael took the dog on a quick walk around the block. They could see that the animal was sweet and loving and perfect for them.

When Beth and Michael got back to the shelter, they said that they were going to take Rocky home. The volunteers couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Rocky, the dog who had been there longer than any other, was finally getting a home.

That Christmas, Rocky had a family for the first time in years.

Some people asked how Beth and Michael could possibly want to adopt a 17-year-old dog. But Beth explained it best in a letter to Rocky that the shelter later posted on Facebook:

To summarize the letter, the couple knew when they took Rocky in that he needed extra accommodations. But that didn’t matter to them, as the dog was the best gift they’d ever gotten.

But the family would soon be getting even bigger. Six months after Beth and Michael had taken Rocky in, the couple discovered that they were expecting a baby.

Nine months later, Beth gave birth to Hazel. Rocky, being a loving animal was obsessed with Hazel. He just wanted to spend every second he could with the baby.

Sadly, Rocky would not be with the family for much longer.

Just a little after Hazel’s birth, Rocky became ill. The family rushed him to the vet, but there was nothing that they could do.

Rocky passed away aged 19.

While Beth and Michael were devastated to have lost their family member, they knew that they had done all that they could to give Rocky the best possible life. Thanks to their kind hearts, the dog had spent his last two years in a loving, happy home.

If only all senior dogs in shelters could experience the same thing!

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Source: ABC News