17-year-old senior dog refuses to pass away until he can meet his human baby sister
Many people love pets. They donate supplies to shelters and upon occasion foster or adopt one of the animals at these shelters. Unfortunately, this is not the case with senior dogs, with many potential adopters choosing to take home a younger pet. This is mainly because younger dogs usually don’t have the problems that senior dogs tend to have.
Adopting a senior dog
Couple Beth and Michael Clark made a split decision to adopt a senior dog on a trip to donate materials at their local shelter, Anne Arundel County Animal Control. They had no clue that they would return home with something extra. As they made eye contact with a senior dog named Rocky they made a decision, or at least Beth did.
“I saw this gray-faced, skinny dog and I said to my husband, ‘We’re getting him,’” Beth told Today. “I was not about to leave that old man to die in a cage.”
Rocky’s health begins to decline
As their first year with their new pet went on, they noticed his health begin to decline. Which was understandable since Rocky was over 17 years old.
“He loved dancing with us and being near us … as the year went on, it got harder for him to climb the stairs and go on walks, so my husband would carry him up the stairs every night just so he could sleep next to us, and instead of walks we just sat outside in the sun together.”
Beth and Michael are expecting a baby
Soon, Beth discovered that she was pregnant. Rocky must have known something was up as, according to Beth, the bigger she got, the more gentle he was with her. As Beth’s pregnancy progressed, Rocky’s health failed more and more. Taking him to the vet, it was discovered that Rocky might have a tumor.
Rocky was determined to meet his new sister
It seemed that Rocky was determined to make it until Beth had her baby, as he hung on, bouncing back after returning home from the hospital. Beth and her husband felt that they didn’t want Rocky to be kept at the hospital where he would be poked and prodded. They wanted him by their side at home in case something more serious was going on.
Rocky passes away
The day that Beth returned from the hospital with her new daughter, she introduced her to Rocky. Rocky sniffed his new sister and then laid his head down near her. Later that night, Rocky got worse. The couple, though sad, knew that Rocky’s time was short, and so made plans to have him put to sleep
“I called a vet and that night, he went peacefully with his family by him,” Beth told Today. “We loved him more than words can describe and we still have a very hard time adjusting to him not being here.”
The couple feels that Rocky held on just long enough to meet his baby sister. Anne Arundel County Animal Control sent the couple a onesie for their new baby, named Hazel. It had a dog with angel wings on it and the words, “My BFF grew wings.”
Here is a video with some of the benefits of adopting a senior dog.
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