Some dogs never get the chance to feel true love. Instead, they spend their whole life trying to escape abuse and neglect, but sadly, only a few succeed.
Mistreated dogs are often perceived as aggressive by nature, which leads to further mistreatment. The majority of them end up tragically waiting for their owners to unjustly set them for euthanasia.
One such case comes from California, where a senior dog named Ollie was about to face that horrible fate. Completely mistreated and severely aggressive, Ollie had a one-way ticket to the inevitable until a man showed up and gave him a chance!
Ollie’s Heartbreaking Story
When Sal Valdepeña, the founder of Balooja’s Foundation in Upland, California, first met Ollie, he was a lost cause. This over 15-year-old doggo was extremely aggressive due to mistreatment, and he constantly growled and barked at people.
But, Sal didn’t give up on him. Instead, he took him to his facility and found him the perfect foster home – and the perfect mom!
Cathi Perez, a long-time dog lover and foster, was more than happy to welcome Ollie into her home. The first time they met, he was completely matted and covered in feces. On top of all that, Ollie was unable to stand on his legs due to a possible old break.
“He was a filthy matted mess covered with feces and urine stained, he was unable to walk and he was extremely aggressive, lunging and thrashing out at anyone and anything that came near him and was on the fast track for euthanasia,” Perez wrote on Facebook.
Even though he was in his golden years, Ollie was on the defensive all the time. For the first few days, he would just lie in his customized pen and growl at his foster momma. He was so mistreated in life that he wouldn’t even let Cathi touch him.
A Lot Of Ups And Downs
After the initial vet exam, Ollie was put on multiple medications for his pain and anxiety. He soon started to feel at ease and was able to stand for a few moments on his legs. He still had a long way to go, but he was evidently better.
Thanks to his mom’s endless love and support, Ollie finally started learning what love felt like. He’d even allow her to clean his pen and pat him on the back.
Then, he would go all the way to the beginning – to his old self. His days were filled with endless struggle between what he had known his whole life and what he was going through now.
“He isn’t always feeling it but he is much more at ease and relaxed, his medications kicking in and relieving his pain and anxiety is a major factor,” wrote Perez.
Despite all that, Perez had a lot of patience and support at her disposal. He chose not to give up on this dog in his final days, and instead be his forever companion until the end. In no time, she went from being a foster mom to being Ollie’s forever mom!
Sal and Cathi continued to take Ollie to his regular vet appointments and give him the meds he needed. Sadly, according to the vet, this senior doggo didn’t have much time left in this world.
He had no more strength to keep fighting the life battle, and he definitely had more bad days than good. Yet, during his final days, Ollie displayed a tiny glimmer of hope that all this care was not in vain.
His sad eyes started revealing joy, and his tail was finally wagging. For the first time in his life, Ollie knew that he was surrounded with love. And, he knew that his momma’s home was a safe space.
Love And Kindness As A Final Gift
Cathi did everything she could to make Ollie’s last days memorable. She showered him with constant love and affection, which he enjoyed despite his trauma.
Happy and taken care of, Ollie crossed the rainbow bridge with his momma next to him.
“His was a tragic life of neglect abuse and abandonment but we all rallied to his side, he had a community behind him, he crossed ever so gently, while I whispered to him I love you,” Perez wrote in a Facebook post.
Despite being devastated by her loss, Cathi is grateful for being able to be there for Ollie. And, she’s more than grateful that his final memories in this world were the good ones, as they always should have been.
Rest in peace, good boi!