Senior shelter dogs often face challenges when it comes to adoption. Many people tend to be more interested in younger dogs and puppies, which often leads to older and affectionate dogs being overlooked. One perfect example is Shey, a ᴅᴇᴀꜰ, ʜᴀʟꜰ-ʙʟɪɴᴅ, and mostly ᴛᴏᴏᴛʜʟᴇss ᴍɪɴɪᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ poodle who is now 14 years old.
In November 2017, Shey, the 14-year-old ᴍɪɴɪᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ poodle, was brought to the Animal Ʀᴇsᴄᴜᴇ League for a heartbreaking reason: his family was moving and decided not to take him along. Shey spent the next four months at the shelter, waiting for someone to choose him. He suffered from ᴅᴇɴᴛᴀʟ ᴅɪsᴇᴀsᴇ and hadn’t been ɴᴇᴜᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ, so the ʀᴇsᴄᴜᴇ scheduled him for sᴜʀɢᴇʀʏ and ᴠᴇᴛ care. Out of all his teeth, only one remained intact. With his impairments of being ᴅᴇᴀꜰ, ʜᴀʟꜰ-ʙʟɪɴᴅ, and nearly ᴛᴏᴏᴛʜʟᴇss, there wasn’t exactly a queue of potential adopters waiting to meet him.
However, everything changed when a young boy named Tristan visited one evening last week. Tristan and his mother were searching for a small dog that loved snuggling, and the shelter staff knew Shey would be an ideal match. Jessica Jorgenson, the digital content coordinator for the ʀᴇsᴄᴜᴇ, shared: “Shey is extremely sweet and always wants to be near people. He immediately felt comfortable with Tristan.”
As the adoption staff explained Shey’s special needs, Tristan listened attentively and showed his willingness to do whatever it took to care for the little dog nestled in his lap. Jorgenson mentioned: “Tristan understood that Shey couldn’t hear well and might have difficulty seeing, so he was very gentle with his actions. He showed great respect for what Shey could and couldn’t handle.”
When reviewing Shey’s medical records, Tristan even took out his phone calendar and began noting down future ᴠᴇᴛ appointments for vaccinations. He also shared details about the special spot he had set up in his room for Shey. Jorgenson added: “Tristan was so mindful of Shey’s special needs. He is very mature for his age and asked numerous questions.”
Witnessing the young boy’s readiness to care for a dog, it was an obvious choice — adopting a senior dog was just another reason to celebrate. Shey now has a loving family that adores him for the wonderful pup he is, and he will never have to experience ɴᴇɢʟᴇᴄᴛ again. Tristan showers Shey with love and affection and ensures all his needs are met. Shey is fortunate to have found such an amazing family, and now this little pup can wake up every day feeling joyful and secure. Jorgenson said: “Shey is content. Cuddling is his favorite activity, and he snuggles right in with Tristan.”
