We were looking at buying a new house several years ago. The house was vacant since the couple was getting divorced and they had both already gotten smaller houses. When we got to the backyard there was an aging yellow labrador retriever that looked to be at least 11–12 years old. The food bowl was empty and the water bowl had been turned over. We used the water bottles that the kids had and filled her water bowl. She followed us around the backyard. Once we were ready to go back into the house, the dog whined and didn’t want us to leave. She stood on her hind legs and barked over the fence as we drove away as if begging us not to leave her.
We contacted the real estate agent about the dog. She said that the places that the family bought don’t allow dogs and that the dog had been abandoned by the family at the house. I was shocked. My kids didn’t sleep much that night. We went back the next day to see the house again and the food bowl was still empty and the water bowl was empty. We brought the dog food and water and she gobbled it down and drank all the water. Unlike the prior day, rather than following us around the yard, she hunkered down in a hole she had dug under the house to take shelter. As we were leaving this time, she didn’t come to the fence, she simply had given up. The neighbors from next door came out and said that the family had not been there in days. It would appear that they were starving the dog to death and they were about to call the police.
I called the real estate agent and told them I wouldn’t buy the house if it was the last house on the planet, but I would be taking their dog. If they don’t deliver the dog to me in 24 hours I will call the police. They contacted me and agreed to deliver the dog. We took her to the vet; she was deaf, terribly malnourished, and very sick. We spent close to $7,000 on helping her get back into shape. She lived with my family for about a year and a half and died at age 14 when she failed to recover from major surgery and had to be put down. She was a fighter until the end even when being put to sleep. She never gave up and we never gave up on her. She was a great dog and my kid’s lives were enriched by saving a great dog. The thing about dogs that are rescued, they always remember they were rescued and have a fierce loyalty and appreciation for it.
Here she is making herself at home snuggled up with my youngest son.
