Senior dogs are often at the highest risk for abandonment. It is a sad reality, but many people get fed up with an older dog and the care that goes along with it. For many senior dogs, they have special needs that require attention and people don’t want to deal with them. They want the “puppy” stage and nothing else. It is incredibly heartbreaking when someone decides that their friend is no longer worth the effort.
One heartwrenching story shows how often this happens.
At the Wanderer’s Rest Humane Association in New York, one dog made a surprise visit. When workers got to the shelter that morning, they noticed that something was out front that wasn’t normally there. Realizing it was a sled, they inspected closer and finally understood the horrible reality of what had happened.
A dog had been tied into the sled and dropped off at the front with a note and a small bowl of water.
At the shelter in Canastota, New York, someone had dropped off a dog overnight, completely alone. The only information that the shelter had was a small note that was alongside the dog. The note, while only seven words, will bring a tear to your eye.
“Over 10 years old. Can no longer walk.”
With a short two sentences, someone had abandoned their dog of over a decade. Their dog who had been with them for years and relied on them for medical needs. All of that was down the drain when they dropped off the dog at the shelter. The dog had no idea where it was and just wanted to be home with his family. Unfortunately, the dog had no idea how alone he was.
Thankfully, places like Wanderer’s Humane Associate exist.
Immediately taking the dog in, they named the fluffy boy Perry. They got him inside and got to work. The first thing was to get him checked out by the vet. While Perry was getting looked over, they posted on Facebook hoping that someone would recognize him. Their post said:
“If anyone recognizes this dog please get in touch with us ASAP. He was left outside of our shelter at some point throughout the night tied down to the sled. The note left with him states: “Over 10 yrs old. Can no longer walk.” This is abandonment. If you can no longer care for your pet for any reason, give us a call and we can either directly help you or give you resources. Abandoning them is not the answer and will never be acceptable, especially one that can no longer walk.”
The shelter is completely funded by donations and this expense wasn’t something they were expecting.
After seeing the post, people got behind them and helped to make sure Perry was able to get the treatment that he needed. After the examination, they found that Perry had two tick-borne illnesses and a severe skin infection. They got him some pain relievers and started him on treatments right away. Soon, he began to act differently and even started walking a bit with some help!
Perry is in good hands and is getting the help he needs.
While he isn’t up for adoption, he is getting the help that he needed. They are posting updates on Facebook for anyone who wants to keep up. It is a reminder that animals need people who care about them. Perry’s old owner did something horrible. The shelter went on to say something in a later post that shows just how wrong it was.
Check out the Facebook post and comment below!
“We do not know the situation of the individual that left this dog. If you need help with your pet we are always here to help in one way or another… even if we can’t take it directly from you we can help provide other options. Leaving a pet tied up outside leaves them susceptible to being injured by a multitude of things. We are a shelter, and while we will do everything in our power to help every animal that walks through our doors, we do not have unlimited resources. We do not have a vet on staff. We rely on donations. We can only hope that everyone who is in a situation where they feel they need to drop their pet off somewhere will call all of their local shelters/rescues and veterinary hospitals to look for other safer options first. We are blessed by the amount of support we are receiving from our community and together we will help this dog.”
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