As dogs get older, their needs change. Their body begins to break down as they start to suffer a variety of ailments, including arthritis, blindness, and cognitive disorders. Some pet owners seem unable to deal with these new issues, choosing instead to take their senior dog to the shelter, and in some cases have them euthanized.

A senior dog in need

This is exactly what happened to Holly, a 12-year-old dog whose former family lives in Georgia. When Melissa, who runs Old Dog Home, a shelter that specializes in senior dogs, received a call from her veterinary partner, she was shocked to learn that a family was wanting to have their somewhat healthy senior dog euthanized, and rushed over to help.

Passed around from family to family

Over the phone, the vet explained how a man had brought a senior dog to be euthanized. His reason was that he “didn’t want to take care of her anymore.” According to the man, the dog, named Holly, had been passed around from family to family after her owner had died. Now, the family she was currently living with did not want to have to take care of her.

“We just don’t really like her.”

Holly posted about her encounter with the family on the Old Dog Home Facebook page:

“They told me that she pees on the floor all the time and that they have two other dogs already, and the grandkids just aren’t interested in her. I don’t like to pick on children, but the granddaughter looked at me and shrugged – ‘We just don’t really like her. We like our other dogs better.’ Meanwhile, the dog stood there wagging and wagging and wagging her tail.”

Melissa decides to foster Holly

And while the Old Dog home shelter was full at the time, Melissa couldn’t resist taking Holly in and decided to foster Holly herself. This was partly because Holly seemed amazingly sweet and in remarkably good health for a senior dog. To the vets’ credit, they had all refused to euthanize the senior dog.

Holly did have a yeast infection that could be easily treated and was probably the reason she had bladder problems, to begin with. Otherwise, Holly was a healthy and happy dog. It would seem her former owners gave up on Holly too quickly.

All Holly needed was a little TLC

According to Melissa, initially, when she took Holly into her home, she was scared and confused, but eventually started to relax. All Melissa did was wrap Holly in a blanket and held and snuggled with her. Her goal was to let Holly know that she was loved, and it worked.

Finding Holly a home

Once she is physically and emotionally healed, Melissa plans on finding Holly a home where she can be loved and spoiled for the rest of her life. For more on how you can donate to Old Dog Home, visit the shelter’s Facebook page. Here is a video of Holly, dressed in a sweater, going for a walk outside.

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Source: Facebook/Old Dog Home

H/T: I Love My Dog So Much