Robbie is a young boy who has overcome years of abuse and neglect, in addition to spending years in the foster care system – waiting for a family to adopt him.
The boy is one who has a deep understanding of how senior dogs in shelters feel as they wait for adoption as well. Just like senior dogs, the longer children stay in the foster care system, the harder it is for them to be adopted. Older children and senior dogs share the same problems that most adopters want to adopt babies or puppies – even though everyone deserves to have a loving forever home.
Given this reality, when Robbie was adopted by Maria Henry Gay and her husband, the family made the decision to only adopt senior dogs. Even though they may not have many years left, at least this family is able to show these old dogs the meaning of a happy home and loving family. The family often lovingly refers to these senior dogs as “old people” – and one of them was named Buffy.
Buffy had a scheduled routine tooth cleaning, as well as have a couple of them pulled. Before the cleaning was set to start, the vet conducted a bloodwork test. Unfortunately, the results showed that Buffy was in the advanced stages of kidney failure. After a lot of soul-searching, the family believed that “that the kindest and most loving thing to do would be to let her go before she lost her will to live and stopped eating and drinking.”
Maria was sure to include Robbie in decision making. When she picked him up from school, he was told about the bad news regarding Buffy. He made the brave decision that he wanted to be there to hold Buffy while she was put to sleep. Buffy passed away while being held in Robbie’s lap.
Heartbroken, the family knew that deep down it was the right decision for Buffy.
Maria was proud of her son’s compassion, saying, “On the way home I told him how proud I was of him for understanding the importance of caring for old animals and helping to make sure they never ever suffer.”
Apparently, Robbie replied with, “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 ok, Mom?”
As the family mourns the loss of their beloved pet, Robbie reminded his family that it’s not how long you have a pet, but how much you love your pet – a very, very wise sentiment coming from a young boy.
As Robbie reminded his mom, “well you’ve only known me for two years but you love me like it’s been forever.”
This family is going to continue to adopt senior dogs and give them a wonderful home that they deserve.
Always remember to adopt instead of shop.
