Woman Gives Dying Dog a Taste of Family in His Last Days

Lori Ennis
by Lori Ennis
A California woman going through her own loss went looking for the saddest, most unadoptable dog she could find, and now both of their lives are now full of love.


Melani Andrews lost her husband in January of this year, and a month later, she lost her dog. She was heartbroken, and knew life without them would be lonely. So, last week, she went to the Front Street Shelter in Sacramento, California and asked for the dog no one wanted to adopt.


It’s not every day that someone asks the adoption shelter for the most unadoptable dog, particularly the oldest, as Melani was looking for. She wanted to give a dog who was unloved and unwanted a chance to not know the loneliness she’d been feeling, and she wanted someone share her life with also.


Related: Senior Dog Prom Proves Elderly Dogs Still Have The Right Ruff!


And so, though the staff was surprised she was looking for such a dog, they knew exactly to whom they should introduce Melani. According to shelter spokesperson Bobby Mann, Jake was the one. He was 12-years-old and is suffering from an untreatable terminal cancer. Jake’s skin is bad, his teeth are bad, and he’s just a mess.


In essence? Exactly what Melani wanted. Mann says that Jake was a good dog but always overlooked because of his health conditions and his age, but Melani thought Jake was adorable. After spending some time at the shelter getting to know him, Melani knew he’d be the one that was going home with her.


Jake now lives the high life, as if he’s always been a part of Melani’s family. He loves his backyard and little walks around his neighborhood, and he has a fleece blanket that he particularly favors. In fact, he seems so happy to have something comfortable of his own, he has a routine of arranging it over himself so he’s wrapped as snug as a bug before he settles into a restful sleep.


Related: Woo Hoo! Senior Dog Adoptions Are On The Rise!


Melani knows her time with Jake will be short, and still, she knows it’ll be precious time nonetheless. Mann hopes that more are inspired by Melani’s outpouring of love for the ailing senior, and that they’ll look into adopting more senior dogs as well.


[Source: Today]

Lori Ennis
Lori Ennis

More by Lori Ennis

Next