Senior dogs at animal shelters only have a 25% adoption rate compared to 60% for younger dogs. Photo: 123rf.com
Working in an animal shelter can be a heartwarming and rewarding experience. It can also be devastating and challenging.
For the staff of the Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Florida, the United States, they received one of their most difficult surrenders yet just a few weeks ago.
Dax, a 20-year-old Weimaraner, was surrendered to the rescue in Loxahatchee on June 28, the shelter said in a TikTok.
“It is unfathomable to think about a loving, loyal 20-year-old senior dog, at the end of his lifespan, given up and left confused and heartbroken,” the shelter said in the video caption.
“A home should be forever,” the shelter said in the TikTok video.
The video had more than 70,000 views on TikTok and thousands of comments as of July 13, some outraged and others offering their home.
“Dax still has a lot of life and love in him,” a rescue spokesperson told Newsweek. “He can get himself up onto a sofa and off again and is steady on his feet with a little assistance at first. He loves his toys and treats and is great with other dogs.”
Of the 3.1 million dogs entering US shelters each year, senior dogs only have a 25% adoption rate, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates. That’s compared to a 60% adoption rate for younger dogs, McClatchy News previously reported.
But luckily for Dax, he didn’t have to wait long.
After seeing Dax’s story on social media, Sarasota nonprofit Love4Paws reached out to the rescue “in an attempt to pull him as soon as possible”, they said in a July 6 Facebook post.
Dax had been staying in a temporary foster home, Big Dog Ranch Rescue said in a TikTok video, and was quickly transported the Love4Paws facility.
There, he got a new set of wheels – and a pup cup.
“While we’d expected to keep Dax in our care for whatever time he had left, (Big Dog Ranch Rescue) located an adopter who they felt was right for him. Dax is now in his new home and we are so hopeful for his future,” Love4Paws said on Facebook. “This boy stole our hearts from the first second we saw him and we feel incredibly blessed to have been able to help him.”
Dax is now living with a board member from Big Dog Ranch Rescue with new dog siblings, the shelter said.
Big Dog Rescue Ranch said with the donations received from the public, they were able to buy snacks, food, medication, a new wheelchair, an orthopaedic bed and lots of toys for Dax to take to his new home.
While the shelter doesn’t know the exact circumstances that led to his surrender, they noted to KHOU TV station that Dax likely would not have made it to his second decade without good medical care throughout his life.
“They are not just dogs – they are our children and our family members who love us unconditionally and remain forever loyal, asking little in return,” a spokesperson told Newsweek. – Tribune News Service/The Charlotte Observer/Irene Wright
