15-year-old dropped off at shelter to be put down gets adopted by veterinarian
Netty’s owners came to the Pennsylvania SPCA requesting that the 15-year-old mixed pit bull be put down.
But the Pennsylvania SPCA had better plans.
They decided to let her live out her final years in their loving care.
“She was returned with a requested euthanasia,” Maddie Bernstein, manager of lifesaving at the Pennsylvania SPCA, told Yahoo. “She was old and having some incontinence difficulties in the house.”
Netty’s original owners had adopted her from the same shelter 12 years prior.
She had only been there for three days when they took her home.
When they returned her, they weren’t interested in learning about medications or other options. They just discarded her like the last 12 years didn’t matter. But the SPCA staff felt differently
“They felt like she still had a quality of life,” Bernstein said. “They started her on meds, and she did really well. She was starting to improve.”
Netty was fighting off a urinary tract infection and was living in the shelter’s hospital.
She got lots of attention and lots of rest there.
“The return rate for animals varies, and it doesn’t happen often, but when it does, especially after a decade, it can be heartbreaking. It was in Netty’s case. But, instead of focusing on what had happened to bring her back to us, we chose to focus on how we can give her the best final days,” Gillian Kocher, director of public relations at Pennsylvania SPCA, told Newsweek.
We hate to break your hearts, again, but here we are.
Netty is 15-years-old. She is sitting in the shelter in what could be her final days. We don’t want that for her.
Netty is VERY low maintenance, and could live with dogs, cats and respectful kids. Please share. pic.twitter.com/saQVsPW7dS
— Pennsylvania SPCA (@PSPCA) August 7, 2022
Once Netty was feeling better the Pennsylvania SPCA put her up for adoption to see if anyone would be willing to take in the senior dog.
Netty’s adoption ad said that she was “very low maintenance.”
“Can you please help us spread the word about this beautiful soul to get her out of the shelter and into a warm, cozy bed?” the adoption post read.
West Chester, PA veterinarian Amy Kid saw the adoption post on Facebook and called straightaway to see if she could adopt Netty.
“As soon as I saw her face, I was like OK, she’s the one that needs to come to my house,” said Kidd
She had just lost her 12-year-old rescue Monty to cancer the previous month.
Kidd has five other senior dogs living in her home and was looking to adopt another.
Kidd and her husband have taken in seniors, many that are considered to be “hospice dogs,” for the last eight years.
Their stay usually extends their life span three or four years longer. Kidd’s children brought two of her senior dogs with them to pick up Netty and make sure they all got along.
“She immediately melded right into the family,” said Kidd.
Kidd says that Netty has gotten much healthier by taking medication for her incontinence and doing hydrotherapy for her arthritis.
“She is getting stronger and stronger, and it’s really fun to watch her personality come out,” Kidd said. “She’s kind of a stubborn girl, and it’s pretty funny because she’s supposed to be this old lady that can’t walk,” Kidd added. “She is officially the queen bee of the house. She made her way all the way up the stairs by herself, no problem. She does that on a daily basis.”
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