When many people go to a shelter, the first thing they ask for is a puppy. Puppies are little and cute, and people love the idea of their dog growing up alongside them. While it’s great that these shelter puppies often easily find homes, they aren’t the only ones at the shelter.
Sadly, there’s one type of dog that’s often overlooked at a shelter: senior dogs.
One family knew exactly what faced senior dogs in shelters and knew they had to bring a senior dog into their home.
Melissa Davis and her daughter Raven walked into a BARCs animal shelter in Baltimore with the sole purpose of adopting a senior pup.
That is where they met Kaylee, an 11-year-old American Staffordshire terrier who was brought to the animal shelter and surrendered by her owners when they could no longer afford the care for her.
“No one wants an old dog. People think that puppies are more energetic. I don’t want them to die in a shelter,” Melissa’s daughter, Raven, told the Baltimore Sun.
The family took in Kaylee, despite her early kidney disease, a torn ACL, and thyroid carcinoma. They decided to adopt her and make her last days great.
Along with creating a Facebook page to document Kaylee’s bucket list, they entered Petco Foundation’s Holiday Wishes campaign and wound up winning a $10,000 grant for BARCS.
Melissa and Raven were thrilled they could give back to the folks who took care of Kaylee when her previous family no longer could.
The family dipped into the savings and vacation money to make sure they could care for Kaylee’s ailing health.
Melissa’s children even offered to give up a trip to Disneyland if it meant that Kaylee was taken care of.
“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.”
Sadly, several months after she was adopted, Kaylee passed away. But not before checking off many things on her bucket list.
Kaylee got to sing songs with her friends, had a cheese buffet, ate a puppachino, and topped it all off with a brownie cake with bacon.
Melissa shared a heartfelt video of Kaylee’s adventures on Facebook, with the following caption:
I cried while making it. I cried while watching it. There’s a big hole in my heart without her here.
While Kaylee sadly isn’t with us anymore, Melissa’s house is still home to some furry friends in need. This includes Mr. Magoo, a blind rescue dog.
Melissa is dedicated to taking care of overlooked animals, and seeing the photos of Mr. Magoo on his Instagram page makes our heart melt. Clearly, Kaylee’s spirit is still living on through her friend.
Check out the heartwarming video of Kaylee below.
Please SHARE this incredible video with all of your friends and family on Facebook today.
