Most families who want to adopt a dog focus on the puppy room. They are attracted to these little guys because of their youthful energy and ability to grow old with their families. Plus they are just…so adorable.
Unfortunately, this focus on puppy adoptions leaves the older generations neglected.
Since it is so much more difficult to place a senior dog in a home, many of them are euthanized when shelters run out of space.
One family was well aware of this and knew they had to bring home one of the senior dogs at the shelter.
Melissa Davis and her daughter Raven entered a BARC’s animal shelter in Baltimore on a mission. They were going to find one of the seniors and give him the best home they could.
At the shelter, they met Kaylee, an 11-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier who was surrendered to their care after her owners couldn’t afford her care any longer.
“No one wants an old dog. People think that pupies are more energetic. I don’ want them to die in a shelter,” Raven told the Baltimore Sun.
The family took in Kaylee in all her senior citizen glory. She had kidney disease, a torn ACL, and thyroid carcinoma. Melissa and Raven couldn’t care less. They were determined to make sure that the dog felt loved in her final days.
The family wasted no time setting up a Facebook page to document Kaylee’s bucket list.
They also entered PetCo Foundation’s Holiday Wishes Campaign where they won a $10,000 grant for BARCS.
The family did everything they could to make Kaylee comfortable. The kiddos even sacrificed a trip to Disney so that they could afford her medication.
“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.”
Several months after she was adopted, Kaylee passed away.
The dog did not leave the world without love. She spent her final months singing to her friends, eating puppachinos, enjoying cheese buffets, and enjoying doggie cakes.
Melissa shared a heartfelt video of Kaylee’s doggie shenanigans with the following caption:
“I cried while making it, I cried while watching it. Theres a big hole in my heart without her here.
If you would like to honor Kaylee’s life with a donation, we would love for you to visit the websites for Senior Dog Sanctuary of Maryland or BARCS Animal Shelter.”
The comment section of this video is filled with stories of other people who decided to adopt senior dogs. Kaylee’s story even inspired a few people to adopt a senior rather than a puppy.
You can watch the video tribute to Kaylee below!
