Oh My Shih Tzu

Small Athletes Breaking Stereotypes

Wordless Wednesday – A Rescued Senior Dog

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A couple of years ago I ventured into pet rescue adoption. I immediately became a foster failure with my first Shih Tzu foster, Katie. A year later after losing my father, I also lost a foster. Do to the rescue that I was working with at the time not willing to give proper care, she died in my arms the following morning after seeing the vet. Though my vet comforted me as to the degree of her illness, I was never going to let that happen again. Never would I let someone dictate to me of how a dog should be cared for.

A couple of months later after this incident I received a call from another rescue stating they knew of an older Shih Tzu that needed help. His owners were no longer able to care for him do to the loss of jobs and they were ready to euthanize him. I immediately contacted him and we agreed to an owner surrender, with the help of another rescue. I picked him up and immediately met with another rescue who was kind enough to take him to the vet for me. Later that evening I picked him up, as I became his foster mom (fm).

JoeJo_PS4

When Mr. JoeJo came to me he was very aggressive. In the beginning I was actually afraid to give him medication. Now I have been training dogs for a long time, but this little guy scared the living petunias out of me. Now he just didn’t bite… he came after you like a little shark and wouldn’t stop. To be able to give him meds, I used a “no bite” collar. It’s hard plastic that fits completely around the neck. So with every administration of the medications I would also give a yummy treat. JoeJo started getting the idea and with time we were able to give meds without the collar and move to a soft cloth muzzle. Over time, collars or muzzles were no longer needed, he willingly would take meds because they were no longer scary or hurtful. Heck, I don’t even have to treat afterwards.

I learned to enjoy the little things the most about Mr. JoeJo, are all the little milestones that come along the way. Carrying a stuffed toy in his mouth, I call them stuffies. Being able to kiss his cheek or pet him under the chin. Finding out he gets excited when he gets a new outfit put on and cuddling into my body and rubbing his face against me.

Mr. JoeJo was a senior with special needs. His day consisted of receiving a muscle relaxant 2x a day to enable him to eat (degenerating jaw) which we eventually phased out, Anapril (Canine Cognitive Dysfunction) 1x a day, Baytril Otic (ears) 2x a day, Cyclosporine (eyes) 2x a day, fluids (kidneys) 3x week and lastly laser treatments (ears) once a week. In addition to this, he slept with me so I could take him out to wee wee in the middle of night. He did not have the ability to ask to go outside and would wee wee on the floor if not taken out immediately upon waking up.

Even after all this, I was so fortunate that he shared his life with me. Having a senior pet taught me so much about love and compassion with an older dog. When I received Mr. JoeJo he had just turned 13, and at the time I did not expect him to make it to Christmas. But he made it through two Christmas’.

When he passed on July 8th, of this year my world crumbled. I still cry every time I think of him, and writing this hurts more than anything. I find comfort in knowing that he knew love and had a good life the last 2 years, 1 week that he was with me.

I have decided to share the last moments we had with him, Me, Hubby & Riley. She came along because she wanted to be with her big bro and give him comfort too. In the last few months he suffered from pancreatitis & kidney failure, he had gone from a robust 14lbs to a little over 8lbs all while eating just as much as Riley (17lbs). I had always asked my vet, ‘When will I know?’, while I knew that day it was time as I could no longer keep the pain away. And it hurt me too much to let him feel that way. He would just crawl into my lap and cry… it was time.

JoeJo_PS5


Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Shih Tzu Mommy says

      Thanks so much… he meant a lot and I think everyone needs to know how special he was 🙂

    • Shih Tzu Mommy says

      Thank you… I sometimes think he took my heart with him… I know he is waiting for me at the rainbow bridge.

  7. Jody Green says

    I’ve adoped a few seniors. It’s always an ordeal at first. Their lives have changed so dramatically. It takes awhile for them to realize that it’s changing for the better. Your story is similar to mine with my Muffin. I adopted her last December. She had ear problems but wouldn’t let anyone come near them without biting. I know it’s a lot of work. (We have the night time romps as well.) But I’m grateful for the opportunity to care for a dog so much in need. And it gladdens my heart to hear that there are others like me. There’s a short post about my muffin here: http://mycrazycanines.blogspot.com/2013/09/meet-family-part-5-muffin.html Come by and visit us. Please rest assured that you were the best thing that ever happened to JoeJo. Thank you so very much for caring. Any tips you can give me are most appreciated.

    • Shih Tzu Mommy says

      Thank you for stopping by. I will definitely head over to your blog and pass on all my little tips 🙂 I have a bunch… I will get back to you soon 🙂

  8. Nailah Bone says

    :: hugs :: Losing them is never easy, is it? 🙁 We lost our golden retriever in 2011 and my mom still can’t be around goldens without getting emotional. That said, Mr. Jojo was lucky to have you to take care of him in his final moments, I’m sure you feel lucky to have been able to share his life too.
    Nailah Bone recently posted…The Faces of an Autumn DayMy Profile

  9. Lida (Olivia's Human) says

    aww, that was so nice of you to 1) take a special needs pet and 2) a senior pet. Either would make him hard to adopt out but both would have made it that much more challenging and unfortunately it doesn’t seem that there are enough people willing to take on such a big responsibility. I’m so glad he got to know how loved and special he was during his time with you, eveery dog deserves nothing less.
    Lida (Olivia’s Human) recently posted…Wordless WednesdayMy Profile

    • Shih Tzu Mommy says

      You are so right… I didn’t know what I was getting into with him being a special needs dog. If you look at it, I probably could have taken a very nice European vacation… but that would never have touched my heart the way he did. He deserved everything… and he got it until his little body couldn’t handle it anymore.

    • Shih Tzu Mommy says

      I am so glad she is doing better… I think they become different when they get older… almost like little Yodas… they have so much to offer us.

    • Shih Tzu Mommy says

      Thank you Kimberly… I thought of you a lot while writing this too… we all share this feeling in someway… especially when we are great moms 🙂

    • Shih Tzu Mommy says

      There have been so many times that I wish I had him from the beginning… I felt very cheated. I just wanted him longer, I think he would have lived longer with better care from the start.

  14. Vuctoria says

    Oh what a beautiful story ! It brings tears to my eyes. Not just tears of sadness but also tears of joy that this baby had such love from you in his last few years. Thank you for that . And thank you for sharing.

  15. Linda says

    I also took on a senior rescue, a little smooth Griffon. Amongst other things he had been kicked down stairs so had a bad back injury and was frightened of the whole world. A lot of love and attention brought him almost back to being a normal dog. And although it broke my heart to only be able to spend a few short years with him, I was happy to at least give him a happy ending to an otherwise miserable life. He was known as my “little old man”
    Linda recently posted…Wordless Wednesday – A Bad BugMy Profile

    • Shih Tzu Mommy says

      Aww there is something special about the little old men. We called JoeJo our ‘lil guy’ or ‘bubba’. I am glad you had a chance to experience this kind of love.

    • Shih Tzu Mommy says

      He was pretty much a hospice foster. He was too ill in the beginning, and after the first 1k I wasn’t going to give him up. I knew I had to give him everything .

  17. Bethany says

    What a wonderful story- you brought tears to my eyes! Thank you for sharing it. I know how hard it is… I blogged about my senior pets in August and I sobbed and sobbed but it was also cleansing, in a way. I look forward to more pictures of precious Mr. JoeJo when you feel ready.
    Bethany recently posted…What Wordless Wednesday Cruelty Is This?My Profile

    • Shih Tzu Mommy says

      Thank you so much… I wish I was able to have him a bit longer… I miss his little head on my shoulder as I sleep, it was his favorite spot.

    • Shih Tzu Mommy says

      it has been very hard to share… my goal is to be able to go through all his pics and do an album…. but I am not there yet. I never knew it would hurt this much.

  19. Andrea @ This Pug Life says

    You have my utmost respect for taking in seniors, especially those with special needs. My rescue (Stray Rescue of St. Louis) has a hospice type foster program, for dogs to live out their final days in a home instead of a shelter. It’s such an amazing program, but I could never do it myself. Those who do are truly angels on earth.
    Andrea @ This Pug Life recently posted…Super Mario PugsMy Profile

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