Once again, as a true testament to the cruelty that still exists in our world, a blind and defenseless senior dog was callously abandoned on the streets and left to fend for itself.
Countless senior dogs find themselves discarded and alone every day. Sadly, even if they do end up in a shelter, the possibility of them finding a forever home is very slim.
According to the ASPCA, the adoption rate for older dogs is only 25%, compared to a 60% rate for puppies and younger dogs. [1]
Jeanie’s rescue tale sheds light on the disturbing question: “How can someone abandon a loyal companion, especially one in their twilight years, to navigate the harsh realities of the streets?”
A Fragile Little Old Lady
Hope For Paws, a non-profit rescue organization located in Los Angeles, received an urgent call about a senior dog that was seen wandering the busy streets of LA.
Thankfully, some neighbors guided the blind dog to their back yard and kept her safe until the volunteers arrived. If they hadn’t done that, the poor dog would have probably gotten hit by a car at some point.
Hope For Paws volunteers, Katie McKittrick and Alex Babcock, rushed to the scene to assist the little dog.
This very neglected and scared little dog was lying down defenselessly on a pink blanket that the neighbors provided.
“Not being able to see and not knowing who to trust, she growled at her rescuers,” Hope For Paws wrote.
They could see that she had been neglected for a long time, and that broke their hearts.
On their way to the emergency vet, they decided to name the dog Jeanie.
Jeanie was matted and completely covered in fleas, so she first got a nice, fresh bath.
And, then it was time for them to safely address all of her medical issues.
The Road To Recovery
Due to many years of neglect, Jeanie had severely rotten teeth and 27 of them had to be removed.
She was a fragile old lady with chronic kidney and liver issues, and she had a significant heart murmur.
Moreover, Jeanie was completely blind and her eyes were causing her tremendous pain. After some healing time and continued eye issues, the eye specialist recommended a bilateral enucleation, which is basically the removal of non-functioning and painful eyes.
Thankfully, both surgeries went well and Jeanie was about to make a full recovery.
After she was fully healed, Jeanie was transferred to a foster home in San Diego through a registered senior-dog rescue called Lionel’s Legacy, which helps find forever fosters for dogs like Jeanie.
“She is obviously blind, quite a bit older and sleeps a lot. When mapping new areas out she will pace and sometimes circle when she’s feeling stressed or overwhelmed. She loves her food, her bed, and oftentimes rolls around in her bed with excitement. She is great with other dogs and cats, doesn’t mind sharing beds, comfortable with being touched and picked up, and relatively easy going,” the rescue wrote in their Facebook post.
Jeanie has had a hard path, but hopefully, her luck has turned around and she’ll be able to find a forever home soon.
She deserves to be happy even if it’s in her twilight years.
References:
[1] Bershadker, Matt. (November, 2018). Four Reasons to Open Your Mind to Older Pets, ASPCA. https://www.aspca.org/blog/four-reasons-open-your-mind-older-pets