Dog adoption is a kind gesture from a person or a family who chooses to take home a shelter dog instead of buying one from breeders.

However, oftentimes people will only eye for the pups- or at least the younger ones.

This makes the senior dogs at shelters unappreciated and overlooked because, usually, people will look for a young and lively dog, unlike the old dogs who are quiet and slow.

It’s a sad reality that dogs of their age are facing in this cruel world.

Because of this, animal shelters are forced to euthanize senior dogs, especially when they start to run out of space. They do this to make some room for other dogs that could possibly be turned over to them.

This family is no ordinary bunch of dog lovers, though, and they want to make a change.

The Davis family of Odenton, Maryland decided to bring home a new addition to their family- a senior dog.

Melissa Davis and her daughter Raven went to the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) where they were determined to fulfill a senior dog’s dream to be adopted.

That’s where they met an 11-year-old American Staffordshire terrier named Kaylee.

She was brought to the animal shelter and surrendered by her previous owners when they could no longer afford the care for her.

“No one wants an old dog. People think that puppies are more energetic. I don’t want them to die in a shelter,” Melissa’s daughter, Raven, told the Baltimore Sun.

The Odenton family still adopted Kaylee, despite her early kidney disease, a torn ACL, and thyroid carcinoma.

They were determined to make her remaining days special- so they came up with Kaylee’s bucket list and created a Facebook account to document her journey as a senior dog.

As a matter of fact, they submitted their story to the Petco Foundation’s Holiday Wishes campaign, and luckily, they ended up winning a $10,000 grant for BARCS.

They’re excited to pay it back to the people who took good care of Kaylee when her previous owners gave up on her.

“To be able to give back to BARCS means so much to us because they gave so much to Kaylee,” Davis said.

The family was all about giving Kaylee the amount of attention and care that she needed.

Melissa’s children even offered to give up a trip to Disneyland if it meant that Kaylee was taken care of.

“She likes wearing costumes and she talks a lot. She’s a really fun dog,” Raven told the Baltimore Sun. “She kept trying to go around chasing squirrels. That was really fun.”

Every life is worth saving.

Because of her illness, Kaylee’s body became weaker and her health gradually deteriorated. The Davis’ didn’t give up on her, though.

She underwent treatments and medicines, wherein her new family spent thousands. Some might say that it’s not worth it, but for them, Kaylee is a family member who’s worth every penny.

“She’s worth it. I’d never complain about the amount of money we spend on her. We get it all back for the amount of happiness we get back from her,” Davis said.

Sadly, the time had come to say goodbye.

Several months after being adopted, Kaylee passed away.

But not without ticking a couple of boxes from her bucket list.

She had breakfast in bed, went hiking, ate ice cream and cheeseburgers, saw a solar eclipse, had a picnic, and even got the chance to celebrate her birthday!

Not only that- they also went to the beach, met Santa, had a puppacchino, inspired a children’s book, and even made the newspaper and local TV news.

She had a cheese buffet and topped it all off with a brownie cake with bacon.

Though Kaylee’s no longer with them, we’re sure that she had enjoyed the remaining days of her life.

After being abandoned, she once again felt love- and that she’s worth all the beautiful things in life.

To commemorate their dog Kaylee, Melissa made a heartfelt video about her adventure, posted it on Facebook and she captioned it:

“I cried while making it. I cried while watching it. There’s a big hole in my heart without her here.”

It’s never goodbye Kaylee – till we meet again.

Watch Kaylee’s happy memories and sad goodbye in the video below- just be sure to have your tissues nearby.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: Shareably, Kaylee’s Bucket List, Baltimore Sun