Twelve years ago, a pit bull mix arrived at a Philadelphia shelter. Oh! She was full of energy and charm, so the volunteers named her Netty.
Netty only stayed in the shelter for three days. A family came in and adopted the sweet dog.
The Philadelphia shelter was shocked when they saw Netty, now 15 years old, was brought back to them.
They asked what happened, and her owner explained she suffered from incontinence and they requested her to be put down.
Maddie Bernstein, the manager of lifesaving at the Pennsylvania SPCA, tried to talk to Netty’s owners.
She told them that medications, love, and care can make Netty better. However, the family was not interested in the other options that Bernstein was offering them.
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They wanted Netty to be put down.
They accepted Netty, and when her owners left, the veterinary team evaluated their old friend.
What they found out made them shake their heads with disbelief. Netty had a lot of life in her. She wanted to live, and she could.
“They felt like she still had a quality of life,” Bernstein said. “They started her on meds, and she did really well. She was starting to improve.”
It was sad that her previous owner, after over ten years of being a part of their family, would just give up on her that easily.
When the situation got tougher, when Netty became old and experienced daily challenges, they dumped her like trash.
Most of us would do our best to make sure that our dog would live longer and would feel better.
Even in their last moments, we would stay with them and be there for them.
That is why the vet team decided not to contact Netty’s previous owners anymore.
They posted on Facebook hoping to meet someone who would gladly adopt a senior dog. Out there, there’s a person or a family willing to open their home and hearts to a dog who just wants to be loved.
Bernstein admitted senior dogs do come as a challenge.
They don’t play as much; they are weaker, and some do experience diseases, but they don’t deserve to be dumped.
“Netty is 15 years old. She was adopted from our shelter in 2010 and recently returned due to what the owners said was incontinence… But, still, this old gal is sitting in a shelter in what could be her final days. We don’t want that for her. So, we are looking for a home where she can spend whatever time she has left,” Pennsylvania SPCA posted on their Facebook page.
They also included that Netty is a sweetheart with other pets and even kids, plus, she’s very low maintenance.
Amy Kidd, a vet from West Chester, Pennsylvania, saw the Facebook post. A month before, she and her family lost their 12-year-old dog named Monty, who they previously rescued.
He died of cancer a month before Amy saw the public post.
It was like destiny because they were also looking for a new senior dog to love, and Netty was the perfect candidate.
“As soon as I saw her face, I was like okay, she’s the one that needs to come to my house,” said Amy Kidd in her interview.
Aside from their dog who passed away, they also had six other senior dogs aged 12 and 16. She loved them and she thinks every senior dog deserves extra love and care.
She said that most dogs that they adopted only expected a short life expectancy, but when they get to live with them, they end up living another three to four more years.
Their secret? They shower them with proper care, lots of love, exercise, healthy food, and a family who would be there for them.
Last August 9, Kidd’s daughter and two sons traveled 40 miles from Kennett Square to Philadelphia to pick up their new senior dog, Netty.
To make Netty feel at home, they brought their other dogs with them.
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“It was time to meet her, and I saw her walk down the hallway,” said Emilea Suplick, Kidd’s daughter.
Suplick said that Netty sniffed her, and then she saw her tail wag.
Netty knew she now had a loving family that would take care of her and would love her even if she was a senior dog.
According to the family, Netty’s incontinence didn’t become a problem because they could control her condition using medications.
“She’s kind of a stubborn girl, and it’s pretty funny because she’s supposed to be this old lady that can’t walk,” Kidd shared while laughing.
Netty is now the queen of the house, and she’s living the best life!
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