07/29/2020
"Pig was found tied up to a pole, left on the side of the road and exposed to all of the world's elements. Iโm thankful the 'family' he previously knew left him because he obviously suffered years of pure neglect and abuse. Pig had multiple health issues that went untreated. Our vet estimated he was at least 12 years old. He had bi-lateral elbow dysplasia, the worst our vet had seen, and had a rough time getting up/down. He had canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), horrible teeth that were practically falling out of his mouth, a mass in his bladder, and his ears were cut (assumedly with scissors) as short as they could possibly get, causing terrible ear infections.
When Pig came to us he seemed so broken and defeated. I honestly didnโt know what I had gotten myself into, owning three other very young dogs. So his first week with us we spent a lot of time at the vet. But we also made sure to show him he was safe and no matter what he was home. After about a week, this dog transformed before our eyes, it was like a light switch going off. He couldnโt walk well but boy, if he saw us he would run, basically hop like a bunny, until he could slobber us with his fish kisses. He would constantly smile and make us laugh, letting out some of the world's deadliest farts and loved to act like a vacuum when food was around. We knew he felt loved because everywhere we went he had a huge smile on his big old head.
We knew Pig was on borrowed time but we didnโt think itโd be so soon. After about 5 months, I came home from work and Pig didnโt want to eat, which was totally unlike him. I work as a veterinary nurse, and in my gut I knew it wasnโt good. So we rushed him in to the ER and found his mass had ruptured in his bladder and there wasnโt anything we could do. These past six months our family had experienced a lot of loss & Pig was the light in our darkness.
My heart is so broken losing him but Iโm so happy we did it. Pig taught us so much in the short time we had him. This dog had no reason to trust people, dogs, or other animals. They had failed him for 12 years, over and over again. But he didnโt let that stop him. He loved hard and no matter how many times he fell over he always got back up and carried on.
I miss Pig so much but I would rescue a senior dog again in a heartbeat. He showed us how to love unconditionally and when weโre ready weโre going to honor Pig by rescuing another senior.
-Katelyn"