Too many senior-aged dogs end up brokenhearted at shelters, no longer wanted or loved by their owners just because they’ve entered their golden years. When their health begins to fail and they experience age-related complications, it’s easier for their owners to pass them off to a shelter where they’ll become among the first to be euthanized rather than tenderly care for them until the end.
Maria Henry Gay and her family have made it their mission to adopt those elderly dogs and give them a forever home until the canines cross over the rainbow bridge. They want these seniors who have so much love to give still to, in turn, be showered with love until they take their final breath.
The Gays also fell in love with and adopted a little boy named Robbie. In his previous family, he endured “severe abuse,” “neglect” and unfathomable suffering, but under the Gays’ wings, he has blossomed into a compassionate old soul in a young boy’s body.
Robbie, in particular, adores adopting senior dogs, Maria explained in a Facebook post. He knows how they feel.
“He is sadly aware the longer a child remains in foster care the less likely they are to be adopted.”
When the family escorted one of their sweet senior dogs Buffy to the veterinarian to have her teeth cleaned and removed, they received heartbreaking news. Dr. Mac had an inkling something was off, so she ran some blood work that revealed Buffy was experiencing advanced kidney failure. That meant she couldn’t have anesthesia.
Instead of sentencing her to unforeseeable pain as she lived out her final days, the family decided it would be gentler on Buffy to “let her go before she lost her will to live.”
“…today didn’t go as we hoped but it’s in the hardest of times we learn the best lessons and feel the most gratitude … I wouldn’t have dreamed of leaving Robbie out of this decision or not allowing him to be part of the entire process so I immediately went and picked him up from school. On the way there he told me he wanted to be the one to hold her when she went to heaven. And of course, I gave him that honor.”
Indeed, Robbie bravely sat in the examination room with Buffy nestled comfortably on his lap as she took her last breath and slipped away. Robbie showed just how beautiful his heart is as he cried his eyes out while Buffy began to grow limp.
On their way home, Maria told him how proud she was of Robbie for “understanding the importance of caring for old animals and helping to make sure they never ever suffer.”
His response blew her away.
“I know how it feels not to be loved or cared for and I don’t want any animal of mine to ever feel that way. It’s only sad for us when they go to heaven. It’s a happy day for them. Thank you for being proud of me. Are you okay, Mom?”
Robbie confessed to Maria once that if she only wanted a baby, she “would have never gotten me.” He’s experienced the true and deep love of a mother and wants the senior dogs in their care to feel the same way he does.
What a sweet little boy with a heart of gold! May he enjoy a lifetime of love and happiness, and continue to be a blessing to the senior dogs who come into his care.
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