Life is full of surprises and that is something most of us have experienced first hand. Sadly, those surprises are not always pleasant and we often find ourselves in front of obstacles to hard to overcome all by ourselves.
Unfortunately, a senior Chihuahua named Scooter faced an unpleasant event when his owner died and he stayed all alone with no one by his side so he ended up at a shelter.
What Scooter did on his first night at his new place got the attention of the shelter staff and they couldn’t help by take a photo of him laying under a blue blanket.
He got covered himself and it was only his ears and the sweet face that were visible. It was his way of comforting himself.
The staff feared that Scooter would spend the rest of his life at their no-kill shelter because they knew senior dogs are not likely to find forever homes. But even if that was the case with Scooter, they had plenty of place and were willing to take care of him.
“Scooter was 12 years old and had an old hip injury,” Jan Nageldinger, shelter manager at the Humane Society of Branch County in Michigan, told The Dodo.
However, once the cute photo of Scooter from under the blanket was shared online, the shelter received numerous phone calls from people from all over the country.
One of them was a woman named Jessica Lynn Howard who had already adopted two Chihuahuas from the shelter before.
“I saw Jan’s Facebook post, along with the rest of the world,” Howard told The Dodo. “My husband Tim and I were lying in bed and it … brought me to tears. Without hesitation I showed Tim and I said, ‘I have to go get him.'”
Her husband fell in love with the cute doggie too, and the first thing in the morning, Howard headed to the shelter to get Scooter home.
“When we arrived home Scooter met his new pack and family immediately,” Howard said. “It was amazing everyone greeted him as if he was a long lost friend of theirs; they truly acted as if he had always been here.”
Their farm is just the place for dogs to enjoy their days and have as much space and fun as they want.
“We have Jax (formally known as Nemo), a Chihuahua we adopted from Branch County, Hank (formally known as Little Henry), a Chihuahua/heeler mix we also adopted from Branch County, BabyFace, another Chihuahua that belonged to my husband before we were married, and two heelers, Spur and Waylon,” Howard said.
Scooter turned into one of the sweetest dogs ever and his family was glad they made the right decision to offer him their home.
“He is super funny and acts goofy. He plays around like he’s a 2-year-old sometimes,” Howard said. But he’s also “all about taking naps — with his blankie, of course. He absolutely loves my husband Tim and our son Braden. Our daughter Dalanie has a soft spot for him, too. He is beyond loved and maybe a little spoiled, too.”
However, Scooter still covers himself with a blanket any time he goes to sleep.
“When it’s bedtime … he still ‘tucks himself in,'” Howard said. “I’ve tried to tuck him in but he would rather do it himself. He has to get the covers just right. It’s really cute watching him.”
The life of Scooter was an inspiration for other families to consider getting a senior dog.
“The good thing that came from this story was that people from … Italy, Puerto Rico, Canada and many, many, many states across the U.S. contacted us … willing to take in Scooter,” Nageldinger said. “When Scooter had been adopted many of these people said that they were going to go to their local shelter and adopt a senior dog. So Scooter not only saved himself; I really believe that he saved the lives of other dogs all across the U.S. with his story.”
Sadly, when choosing a dog, most people opt for puppies, not being aware that the older dogs have as much love to give as the little ones.
“That picture [of Scooter in the shelter tucking himself in] represented all the millions of animals awaiting homes in shelters everywhere,” Howard said. “Scooter, lying there on that cot, was once someone’s beloved pet.”
“If Scooter’s story can help inspire someone to adopt or to donate to the Humane Society of Branch County or their local shelter,” Howard added, “it shows what one little senior dog can do. He moved an entire world with just a single post! That is beyond amazing.”