A senior dog was returned to a shelter more than ten years after she was rescued. However, a local veterinarian has given her a forever home.
Netty, age 15, was rescued from the Pennsylvania SPCA in 2010, only to be recently returned because she had incontinence, said her adopters. Ask almost anyone at a shelter what the hardest, saddest part of their job is. They will invariably say it’s people returning dogs. But Netty’s story has a happy ending.
Return to Shelter
“The return rate for animals varies and it doesn’t happen often. But when it does, especially after a decade, it can be heartbreaking,” said Gillian Kocher, director of public relations. “But, instead of focusing on what had happened to bring her back to us, we chose to focus on how we can give her the best final days.”
Thanks to medication, Netty was soon doing “wonderfully,” but her “overall demeanor was fairly depressed,” Gillian Kocher, director of public relations at Pennsylvania SPCA, told Newsweek. “Due to her age, and that she was fighting a [urinary tract infection], she lived in our shelter’s hospital. Of course, she got lots of attention, but for the most part she slept.”
A Serial Senior Dog Adopter
Netty perked up when she met Amy Kidd, owner of Pocopson Veterinary Station, and her husband and children. The shelter posted Netty’s story on social media. Many people know that Kidd’s family rescues only senior pets, and those with special needs in particular. “As a small-animal veterinarian, I see the needs of senior pets on a daily basis,” she told Newsweek, explaining that dog and cat parents usually adopt puppies and kittens. In contrast, “puppy mill moms, adult pets, and seniors” are more at risk of euthanization.
Here is one comment on the Newsweek article by Marta on August 21, 2022: “If people knew how rewarding is to rescue elderly dogs/cats, they would be rushing to the shelters to adopt them … The gratitude they show and the difference you can make in their lives is absolutely priceless!!!”
