Welcoming a dog into our life is a big step, since it means a lifelong promise to stand by our furry friend in sickness and in health.
Sadly, not all dog owners feel the same way, and many abandon their senior companions, leaving them to survive on their own.
Molly, a twelve-year-old pup, once had a home and a family. She believed she would stay there forever until a harsh truth set in. She ended up all by herself on the streets and realized she had been left behind.
Will someone rescue Molly from the tough life she faced on the street?
A Devastating Reality
When a Good Samaritan noticed Molly darting around a busy road, they rushed to help. They picked her up and drove her to Long Beach Animal Care Services.
The team soon discovered that Molly had a microchip, and they quickly contacted her owners, expecting they would be thrilled to bring her home.
Things did not unfold the way the staff hoped.
The former owners said they had separated from Molly eight years earlier and given her to a friend they no longer had contact with.
Yet, they sounded excited to hear about Molly and promised they would come for her in the morning.
Molly waited at the shelter for two weeks, but her people never arrived. The shelter called them several times and sent emails, but nothing changed.
As soon as Gina Castillo, the Rescuer Director of The Forgotten Dog Foundation in Santa Monica, learned there was a senior dog who had been turned away by her family, she decided to pull her.
Regarding Molly’s prior owners, Castillo was certain they never intended to pick her up.
Castillo checked the database where owners post when they are searching for their missing dogs and found that nobody had posted anything about Molly.
Finally Safe At The Sanctuary
Only after Castillo brought Molly to the sanctuary did she realize the pup was in terrible shape. It was clear she had been neglected.
“We got her to our vet and found that she had a list of medical issues, including being sight impaired, a nasty ear infection, luxating patella on her back leg, rotten teeth and an oral fistula that needed repairing, and she has stage two kidney disease,” Forgotten Dog Foundation wrote in an Instagram post.
The senior girl had eleven teeth removed, and the vet team repaired the oral fistula, a hole in the nasal cavity that formed from the infection in her mouth.
Molly’s care cost nearly $4,000. To manage her kidney condition, the pup is on a special renal diet, which runs around $100 a month.
Her rescuers are overjoyed to see Molly feeling well again.
The senior dog will not be put up for adoption. She is now a sanctuary pup and will remain with Castillo, who looks after the foundation’s dogs.
Castillo is delighted with Molly. She is a darling dog with a sassy streak. She settled into Castillo’s home beautifully.
She loves car rides, has wonderful manners, and goes everywhere with her caregiver.
Molly finally has all the love and attention she lacked for so long. She will never be overlooked and abandoned again.