This Dog Was Dumped At A Shelter At 19, And With Only A Month To Live, The Girls Turned The Dog’s Last Days Into Magic
Unfortunately, this was not always the case. The former owner of the Labrador retriever mix surrendered the senior canine to a Dallas Animal Services facility in the summer. Annie arrived at the shelter in poor health, with only a month to live, according to experts.
Annie's story was shared on social media by Dallas Animal Services, who encouraged animal lovers to consider fostering the dog to ensure Annie's final month was filled with love.
Lauren Siler, a business analyst, read Annie's ad on Dallas Animal Services and "knew I had to figure out how to acquire her," the business analyst tells PEOPLE.
"I then shared her photo to my flatmate and best friend Lisa, who saw it and exclaimed, 'We have to get her,'" Siler said.
Siler and her friend Lisa Flores contacted Dallas Animal Services about fostering the elderly dog. The shelter referred the pair to The Pawerful Rescue, which was caring for Annie as she awaited a foster.
Siler alleges that when she filed for fostering with Flores, the Pawerful Rescue was "extremely honest about Annie's illness and that the veterinarians projected we would have a month with her."
Annie's shortened deadline had little effect on Siler and Flores. The friends, who met five years ago while working at the same elementary school, agreed to foster the Lab mix and give her "the greatest damned month of her life." Siler and Flores devised a bucket list for Annie to guarantee that her days were filled with joy, affection, and comfort.
"We expected her to stay for only a month when Lisa and I adopted her at the end of June." "That's when the idea of creating a bucket list struck me," Siler says.
"We started with a few things like a car ride, swimming, a birthday celebration, and Christmas in July, and it just snowballed from there," she said.
As the end of July approached, Flores and Siler, who had been documenting Annie's bucket list adventures on Instagram (@dallasanimalfoster), realised Annie "wasn't ready to go," so they added to the list.
"She has had over 500 Valentines given to her for Valentine's Day in August, produced paintings, been a chef and prepared handmade dog treats, held baby showers, gone on a hamburger tour, and so much more," Siler said, adding that Annie's over 19,000 supporters have recommended what the senior dog should do next.
Annie has outlived her veterinarian's forecast by a long margin. The dog, who was only supposed to live for another month in June, is still having a good time with her foster family now.
"I believe she quickly realised that living here was the "happy life." We were going to spoil her rotten, say 'Yes' every time she asked for a treat, take her places, and give her a luxurious life for as long as she stayed with us," Siler says.
When Annie isn't marking another item off her bucket list, she enjoys napping, snoring, potty breaks, and receiving letters.
"She brightens when fan letter parcels arrive. It's hilarious! She has a friendly demeanour and enjoys getting mail. "We started filming her'smile' every time someone sent her something on Instagram, and many people noticed," Siler says.
Annie loves to eat and will "happy dance" for it. Siler and Flores hope Annie's fans will be inspired to give older rescue animals a second opportunity after witnessing the senior dog's puppy-like charm.
"We strongly encourage people to nurture." Unfortunately, because shelters are overcrowded, these creatures are being put down on a daily basis unless someone steps up to foster. Annie is one of a kind, but she is not a unicorn. A shelter is presently housing hundreds of Annies. "We're waiting for someone to come forward and take care of them," says Siler.
"These senior dogs have given so much to someone only to be abandoned at the shelter." "I believe we owe it to these elders to help them finish their lives on a high note."She goes on.
Annie's bucket list will be active as long as the dog is motivated and energetic enough to participate. Annie's most recent antics can be found on Instagram at @dallasanimalfoster.