Apollo

Shady Dog Pet ID: 1040

My hang out:  Ottawa, ON (Canada)

My mug shots …

Here’s my story ...

I have a lot of friends in animal rescue so I see all of the sad stories all over my social media pages. A friend of mine posted about how sad she was that someone was surrendering their 16 year old Chihuahua to her rescue. I happened to mention how much I missed having a senior dog around the house after losing my heart dog a year and a half earlier. A week later, she messaged me and asked if I wanted to adopt the little booger. After a talk with my housemate at the time, we decided to take the 4 hour drive out to his foster home to adopt this little guy. He was in the rescue for a total of 30 minutes. We adopted him without knowing anything about his past, his medical condition, or his demeanor – but having a really good feeling about it all.

We got home and noticed he had scabs in his armpits, overgrown claws, and the saddest little eyes ever. This little boy was definitely loved, however, because he knew what cuddles were. In the coming weeks, he was introduced to our cats, our back yard, and our friends and family. We discovered this little 16 year old had crazy allergies, raw paws, and a painful neck. We ended up having to try 4 or 5 different foods before we found one that would stay settled in his belly. He loves going for walks, loves having his chest rubbed, and absolutely loves his mama. He also loves his food, playing with kittens, protecting his mama, and napping in the sun.  He is a mama’s boy through and through!

About a year after we adopted him, at 17 years old, he tried to jump on the bed and missed, resulting in him screaming and not being able to walk. This little buddy slipped two of the discs in his neck, with a third not far behind. We tried to manage on pain medication but he was unable to handle any day to day activities. We had to carry him everywhere and hope that his neck would settle down with time – it didn’t. We brought him to a specialist, thinking that they would tell us he was too old. We prepared ourselves to say a tearful goodbye. The vet, however, had different plans. Next on the docket: neck surgery! This 17 year old dog went through a major neck surgery to fix three discs in his neck, followed by months of rehab and drugs with limited activity. We are happy to say that this little boy is a fighter and came through it with flying colours! After he fully recovered, he was a puppy again – running after the cats, playing with his toys, being his silly self. We were on cloud 9!

He stayed amazingly healthy for another year and a bit until he came down with a horrible gastrointestinal issue. The emergency vet was unable to help, but our regular vet helped us through and now, as I write this, Apollo – the 18.5 year old wonder dog – is watching me and hoping I’ll take a break to come for a cuddle.

After losing his loving home of 16 years, he is now in his forever home and I think he is completely happy with it. We got you, Apollo – we got you.

Author:  Stasia G.

PDF – Apolo – Series 2 Card (Print & Play)