Every time we come across an old and abandoned dog we wonder: But how? How could one throw away a living being that had loved you for years and was part of your life and your family. Then we remember that there are many people who don’t just abandon their pets in their old age but even their own parents. Not that that makes us feel better or makes us understand their actions or their way of thinking it just surprise us less.
Yoda came to us few weeks ago right in the middle of the crisis for food. Someone had thrown him into the trash bin of the shelter: tiny, old, helpless, confused and in poor health. Luckily for him a day later a foster owner called saying: Instead of sending money for food, let me take in a foster so you’ll feed one throat less. So Yoda went to a home: he was warm, had his own bed, a foster parent, a dog, also adopted from us, and a cat. The idea was the get to old guy in shape to be able to travel abroad and spend his last days there.
However it was not meant to be. A few days later he was in a hospital with very low temperature and in serious condition. The exams showed poor biochemistry, heart and lung failure. Although he lay on an electric cushion 24/7 Yoda’s temperature failed to rise above 35C at 38C normal for dogs. Three days after he was hospitalized and a little over a week after he was found, but after he was hugged for the last time, he just past away.
Sometimes we can only do so little and yet is more than many dogs get for their entire lifes.
Awful lot of dogs are in need of homes for their last days on earth and homes are hard to find even for young and healthy mutts. However, these animals manage to love you and be grateful to you even for the last hours of their lifes.