Had Doris’ mom stopped by the shelter one hour later, Doris would have been gone.
She was an hour away from being euthanized in a Los Angeles shelter when she was rescued.
“I just got this feeling I have to help her,” Doris’ mom told GeoBeats Animals. “My daughter and I jumped in the car and we headed to the shelter.”
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Doris’ mom said that the shelter staff was actually surprised that they wanted to adopt the senior dog.
The moment Doris stepped into her forever family’s car she was visibly filled with relief.
“It was the perfect beginning to her new life. As we were pulling out of the shelter, Doris leaned up and put her head right on that armrest in between the driver and the passenger seat. My daughter started crying. We knew we did the right thing,” Doris’ mom said.
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Doris was found lying in the street by a police officer who picked her up and brought her to the shelter. The only other thing that is known about Doris is that she’s had a litter of puppies before.
But now Doris spends her days living the happy life of a senior dog that’s very loved.
“She has the typical old lady frosted face. She has no interest in toys. She is very, very friendly with people. She does not like other animals at all. She’s very bossy and chases our chihuahua,” Doris’ mom said.
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Doris was believed to be about 15 or 16 when she was saved from the shelter and weighed only 34 lbs.
Thanks to the care of her family, she is up to 48 lbs. and looks a lot healthier.
“She’s definitely gotten a little bit spunky. She doesn’t seem to be in pain,” said Doris’ mom. “She just seems to be more stiff than anything else.”
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Now Doris spends her days eating and resting and just hanging out.
Or barking at the chihuahua.
“She sleeps next to my bed right next to me. We take her in the wagon to the park or go driving by the beach and getting a puppucinio,” mom said.
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“She’s just a real character. She’s a silly funny girl. You can just tell when she’s happy. She wags her tail and it goes in a circle like a propeller. At her age, with her arthritis, she still knows how to have a good time.”
Mom says that she just hopes that Doris is happy in her new home and can live out the rest of her days in comfort.
“She really does have a mind of her own. Who wants to ride when you can wander around the park? She is the silliest girl!” her Instagram account says.
She hopes that others will also consider adopting senior dogs and doing the same for them.
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“The majority of the people want younger dogs. The shelters are just overrun and packed. Unfortunately, a lot of senior dogs have lived their whole life with a family. I just don’t feel that a shelter life is a life at all for a senior dog. It’s just so incredibly sad,” said mom.
That’s why her family is so happy to have been able to give Doris a new life.
“She’s a rock star, we love her, our whole family loves her.”
Learn more about Doris’ story in the video below.
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