In My Twilight Years

Gus was an elderly (approximately 12yrs old) Newfoundland mix who was found as a stray several years ago and stayed with Planned Pethood for two years. He has since passed over the Rainbow Bridge.
He was in terrible condition and initially tested positive for heartworm. For a dog his age, in his physical condition, the odds were not high that he would survive the heartworm treatment. Euthanasia was suggested as an option. Planned Pethood elected to give Gus a chance. He had to be on medication for his heart and his chronic ear infections. He had to have surgery on his ear canal, which then closed up but seeped constantly.
Because he could not reach his ear with his back legs (he has some hip problems) he would chew incessantly on his front leg. His foster parents tried all kinds of things to get him to stop chewing a raw spot into his leg: tube socks, bandages, Tabasco sauce... you name it, they tried it. It took them six months, but they finally got him to stop.

Gus also suffered from mild incontinence due to his age.    His foster family figured out what triggered this, and how to work around it.  There was so much more to Gus than his physical ailments! He was a genial guy, who loved people and attention.

After two years a family came along that were a wonderful match for Gus! They lived in a ranch so no more stairs for Gus. They had central air and used it all the time so no more yeast infections in his bad ear. One person worked from home, so Gus wasn't alone much. It was exactly what Gus needed.

During his last 2.5 years with this family, he was well loved and cared for. They specifically sought out an elderly dog that had little to no chance of getting adopted.

Gus also had a family from California that faithfully sent in $50 a month for Gus' medications. They also knew his chance of getting adopted were slim. When it was time to say good bye to Gus, the family contacted PPI and we were grateful for that.

Planned Pethood took a chance and paid for the medications and surgery to allow this gentle giant to enjoy his twilight years surrounded by love. I hope someone is as nice to me when I'm old and grey. When you see the same dogs and cats still up for adoption week after week, month after month- it's because we are giving them a chance they otherwise would never have.