Talk about a rags to riches story! An aging black labrador retriever named Lady was abandoned by the family she had loved not once but twice. The first time she was left at a shelter in Kansas, she walked 30 miles to get back to the family. Then, with hardened hearts, her people returned her to the shelter. Poor Lady would have to spend the rest of her days in a shelter. That's then Lady’s luck changed.
“Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog,” wrote Sydney Jeanne Seward. And blessed is the senior dog who finds someone to love for the remaining years of its life.
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Wrigley’s Gum heiress Helen Rich, who has a habit of adopting animals that might otherwise never leave shelters that have taken them in, has more than 300 rescued animals living on her 130-acre Florida estate. Lucky Lady is now one of those rescued animals.
Lucky Lady fits right in with Rich’s menagerie and is definitely loved by her rescuer. “She needed a home right now, not later,” said Rich, who sent her staff to bring Lady home in a private plane.
Lady goes everywhere on the farm with her benefactor, and she loves being with her.
Now that Lady is part of the family, she will certainly enjoy her remaining years here as part of a family that values each member for every unique characteristic.
Sadly, many senior dogs given to shelters never find another home. Part of that is because, having spent the majority of their years as part of a family, being put in a shelter causes depression and anxiety. They don't act like themselves, so people don't get to see their real personality.
Thankfully, Lady's story is different. She's happy now and part of a family that will make sure she stays that way because that is what her new owner loves: happy endings.
Do you have a senior pet? Or room for a new dog in your own home? Consider making the final years of a senior dog happy ones by rescuing one from an animal shelter. You cannot imagine the joy it will bring, both to you and your new, older dog.
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