We all know that the shelter is not an ideal place for dogs. Unfortunately, many of them end up there and even stay for a long time. That is especially the case with senior dogs as people are not as interested in them as in younger pups.
In these institutions, puppies are kept the least because most adopters are ready to adopt them first. That’s exactly what the employees of Forgotten, Now Family Rescue, a rescue organization from Charlotte, North Carolina, thought when a puppy named DeVito came to their premises.
Unfortunately, the reality was somewhat different, and this puppy was destined for a different path due to the difficult fate that befell him.
Heartbreaking Condition
According to the Forgotten, Now Family Rescue Instagram post, DeVito’s request for intake came over social media from a breeder who found this puppy to be different from the rest of the litter.
“He would grow weak and his tongue turning purple with a lot of other symptoms,” they wrote in the post.
Most people from this shelter, located in Charlotte, North Carolina, thought that it was nothing too serious and that he would be able to heal. Yet, Chrissy Elder, the owner of the Forgotten, Now Family Rescue, did not share their optimism.
This experienced woman saw that something was very wrong with DeVito, so she immediately took him for a detailed examination. Unfortunately, that same examination brought only bad news.
“He has severe S.A.S Subvalvular aortic stenosis as well as structural heart defects with a lot of complex blood flow issues,” it was stated in the post. “He also suffers from grade 4 heart failure.”
To make matters worse, he wasn’t even operable, and the doctors said that he had a maximum of six months left to live. Elder was extremely saddened because of this since among other things, she herself was a heart patient.
Yet, she wasn’t willing to give up on this sweet little boy.
Instead Of Sadness, Tears Of Joy
The fact that Elder decided to spend $3,500 on medications just to keep DeVito alive for those few months speaks volumes for how much she cared.
“It wasn’t in our budget but I have no doubt this baby deserves a hospice journey and I plan to give him the best one,” she stated in the post.
Even though her heart still cried because of DeVito’s sad fate, the little victories made her happy and brought tears of joy to her eyes. Mainly, it was the fact that he tolerated the medication well and that his condition improved.
However, what truly made her over the moon was the friendship DeVito established with her special-needs son, Bo. It was love at first sight, and from the moment they met, these two were inseparable.
Instead of sadness, it was pure tears of joy because of two souls who understood each other perfectly well. Bo finally had a friend who truly loved him, and DeVito had someone with whom he would spend the last moments of his life in joy.
Elder now knew that DeVito would cross the rainbow bridge with a smile on his face and with a family whose memory of him would always remain in their hearts.
In the end, that is what really matters.