Melissa, a 34-year-old woman from Conyers, GA, brings a ray of hope in the life of many senior dogs everyone else quit on.
She has always been a passionate animal lover and an advocate, and now that she had a house with 11 acres of land, her dream of starting a rescue organization that would offer support and shelter to dogs in need finally came true.
“For the dogs that come to us and can be rehabilitated and adopted out, we’re going to do so. We’ll do everything we can to give them a chance at love and a family for their last years,” Melissa wrote on Facebook. “For those who are too old or too sick, we’ll be their family. They’ll live here until its their time to go, and when they do go to heaven.”
Just recently, Melissa got a call from the vet who treats her dog’s at Old Dog Home. What she heard broke her heart. One dog owner brought his pooch at the vet’s asking for the animal to be euthanized. And although this request isn’t that uncommon, it was the reason behind it that left Melissa raged. Apparently, the other wanted his dog’s life to be ended simply because he got bored taking care of her.
When Melissa arrived at the vet’s office, she stumbled upon a very gentle dog. She couldn’t believe someone could abandon such a sweet creature.
Despite being around 10 to 12 years old, the dog now named Holly was in a good heath condition. Old Dog Home was full with residents, but Melissa couldn’t turn her back on an animal whose owners wanted killed so she took Holly in.
As it turned out, Holly had a couple of owners throughout the years, and her last family said how they already had two dogs and their grand kids weren’t interested in playing with a senior dog.
“I don’t like to pick on children, but the granddaughter looked at me and shrugged – ‘We just don’t really like her. We like our other dogs better.’ Meanwhile, the dog stood there, wagging and wagging and wagging her tail,” Melissa wrote.
Holly is now treated for yeast infection, which is the reason why she urinated that much.
Although she felt insecure when she first arrived in her new home, Holly quickly realized she could trust Melissa.
“My real calling in life is to show people that “old” doesn’t mean “dead”… Old dogs still have life and love left to give,” Melissa wrote. “They are remarkably resilient and forgiving, and they deserve to have a chance at a Forever Family just as much as any younger dog does.”
Holly still needs time to heal emotionally, but once she feels better, Melissa will try to find her a loving new home. Of course, in case that doesn’t happen, she can always stay at Old Dog Home and spend her last years there.
“And then I will have another open spot, and I’ll save another old abandoned dog that nobody wanted,” Melissa continued. “That’s the dream, folks. That’s the dream!”