Ready for the purest story you’ll read this year? Meet 8-year-old Robbie Gay.
This adopted little boy loves dogs, like most children – but he’s not interested in puppies.
Oh, no – Robbie would much rather adopt senior dogs.
There are many reasons why so many senior dogs end up in animal shelters every year.
These dogs may have been companions of elderly people who passed away or had to move to an assisted living facility, or a family that faced economic hardships and had to give up their home.
Additionally, in sadder situations, a divorce or a new child in the family may result in owners abandoning their senior dogs.
The harsh reality is that nearly 700,000 dogs are euthanized in the US each year, with many being seniors.
There just isn’t enough interest in senior dog adoption, for obvious reasons. When you own a senior dog, you may only get to spend a few years with the dog before he or she passes away.
But those years could be some of the most wonderful, loving, eye-opening years of your life.
As for Robbie Gay, the little boy never discriminates against senior dogs – in fact, they’re his favorite.
Robbie is a frequent visitor to the Flagler Humane Society in Florida, where he’ll seek out the oldest, least-adoptable dog of the lot.
In an interview with CBS Evening News, Robbie said that there was “something about old dogs that I just like.”
When asked if he saw himself in his favorite dogs, his response was short and simple:
“Yes, sir.”
According to Robbie’s adoptive mom, the little boy knows what it feels like to be unloved and uncared for.
She added that Robbie is “hopeful, optimistic and caring”, but he has “absolutely no reason to be that way”.
Poor Robbie had been subjected to horrific treatment before he was adopted. He had been badly abused, resulting in him being hospitalized twice with brain injuries.
Everything changed when Maria and her husband, Charles, took Robbie into their own home.
While life looked so much better for Robbie, his past still haunted him. One of the effects of such brutality in his earlier years was that Robbie was now unable to cry.
Until, that was, earlier last year, when one of Robbie’s old dogs had to be put down. That was when Robbie’s emotions finally came through.
After finally letting go, Robbie shared some heart-wrenching words with his mom.
He said:
“I know how it feels not to be loved or cared for, and I don’t want any animal of mine to feel that way.”
Robbie’s now-mom, Maria, says that her little boy is “so aware” of how different life could have been for him, and his older dogs have given him “a place to practice compassion”.
Robbie hopes to take things one step further in the future and adopt older foster children.
Until then, he continues to show his commitment and dedication by adopting as many old dogs as his parents will allow.
Thanks to Robbie’s kind, caring heart, so many dogs in his part of Florida have been given a second chance at life – exactly as Robbie had had himself.
You can watch a heartwarming interview with this inspiring little boy in the video below.
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