Older dog cries at shelter when owners leave with younger pup

[Omaha Steve]

Marta and I have adopted several older dogs during our lives together. I can't understand people doing this to older animals.

OS

Published on Feb 2, 2016
Cookie the cocker spaniel, who's believed to be between 10 and 15 years old, and a Labrador retriever were turned into the City of San Bernardino Animal Control after they were found wandering the city streets.

When the family that owned the dogs went to the shelter to pick them up on Dec. 30, the owners chose to take the young Lab home and left Cookie.

Confused and scared, the older companion cried and howled as the owners walked out of the building and walked out of her life.

According to one dog-related website, this happens all too often; owners leave older dogs at shelters and trade them in for younger pups.

But lucky for Cookie, word of her story spread quickly.

It wasn't long before an organization called OC Small Paws So UT helped find a foster mother for Cookie.

Cookie has medical conditions that require special attention, and she has already undergone surgery for cancer. OC Small Paws So UT has pledged to maintain her health and well-being and has documented her journey on the group’s Facebook page.

Credit: http://www.facebook.com/OC-Small-Paws...

[trueblue2007]

1. SO SAD. here is correct link and update on COOKIE

https://www.facebook.com/OC-Small-Paws-So-UT-669232903193731/?fref=ts

OC Small Paws So UT
February 3 at 7:35pm ·

We are re posting this again as we keep getting calls and emails. The main thing is that we are not formally adopting Cookie out. She is under our forever foster program where she stays in a hospice foster. She has cancer and we do not know how long she has so we are not adopting her out. She will stay local under the care of her vet and the rescue. She still has another large tumor that needs to be removed which will be done soon under the same vet that did her mammary tumor removal. Also, please read below as we are getting emails asking us why we gave them a new dog (which we did not). Please read this. Calls and emails are literally coming in quicker than we can answer. At this point we cannot answer all calls and emails. We are trying but its becoming a major job that we do not have enough time for. We honestly appreciate everyone's love and support for Cookie, but we are a small foster home based rescue and volunteers and we cannot answer every message/email. We will continue to try but please do not be offended if we do not call or email back. Back to the other point on this. Below are the facts on how she ended up at the shelter. Also the shelter did nothing wrong. This shelter is actually very rescue friendly and that is why they reached out as soon as she was owner surrendered. Legally they had to give back the the other dog as they had proof that she belonged to them and paid the reclaim fee. Thank you for your understanding. We have always had a positive relationship with this shelter and they do the best they can on a very limited city budget. Thank you for reading and support us and Cookie. Below is a repost of what happened.

"With all of the misinformation going around on Cookie we are going to clarify a few things.

1) Cookie and another dog, a young lab, were picked up as strays and impounded on 12/30 at San Bernadino shelter.

2) The owner came to the shelter and claimed the lab and left her behind. They owner surrendered her which means that she did not have to wait a full 7 days on a stray hold. She was deemed rescue only due to medical (tumors and age).

3) A wonderful foster stepped up and we offered to help.

4) We have made the collective decision to not adopt her out. She will stay under the care of the rescue for the rest of her life in a local forever foster. She also will be under the care of our vet who has already done her first surgery. She is covered and we will be updating as we go along with her.

FACT: We have had no contact with the owner and neither us nor the shelter gave them a new dog. They just claimed their own dog and left her behind.

We appreciate the outpouring of help on her. At this point she is covered. Please if you are able consider helping a local dog that may not be as lucky as Cookie to have an army of people looking out for her."

[First Speaker]

2. That's horrible...to take responsibility for an animal, then desert her in old age...

...I try to avoid sentimentality over animals, but one who's been a lifelong pet, and who regards herself as a person...if she's sick and a burden, better honest euthanasia than this, making her feel deserted and unloved. I'm glad she's found a home for her remaining time.

[trueblue2007]

3. bad link !!!! says Sorry, this page isn't available here is correct link

https://www.facebook.com/OC-Small-Paws-So-UT-669232903193731/?fref=ts

[Omaha Steve]

5. Try this

https://www.facebook.com/OC-Small-Paws-So-UT-669232903193731/

[trueblue2007]

10. cookie update

Cookie is sst to get her next surgery this coming tuesday. Then we will go through her next recovery. She did very well last time considering how extensive her mammary tumors were. She will power through this one also. She is such a good girl and she loves her food.
OC Small Paws So UT's photo.

?oh=5e2a2303bfb7bc727621aaddeb85bce3&oe=5752DE62

She was deemed rescue only due to medical (tumors and age).

3) A wonderful foster stepped up and we offered to help.

4) We have made the collective decision to not adopt her out. She will stay under the care of the rescue for the rest of her life in a local forever foster. She also will be under the care of our vet who has already done her first surgery. She is covered and we will be updating as we go along with her.

FACT: We have had no contact with the owner and neither us nor the shelter gave them a new dog. They just claimed their own dog and left her behind.

We appreciate the outpouring of help on her. At this point she is covered. Please if you are able consider helping a local dog that may not be as lucky as Cookie to have an army of people looking out for her."

[Kingofalldems]

4. I have an older cocker with medical issues---and he ain't going anywhere.

Horrible thing to do.

[SusanCalvin]

6. I can't watch this. I started blubbering just reading the title.

What horrible people. And there are way too many like that in the world.

[trueblue2007]

7. SUSAN !!!! I thought so too. it shows COOKIE getting to car of her new FOSTER mom

she is in care of loving foster people now. Cookie has medical issues and won't be going thru trauma of adoption.

[SusanCalvin]

9. I'm so glad to hear that - thank you.

[Pakhet]

16. I know how you feel

We took in a 10 yr old cocker when his parents got divorced. Neither one wanted him. He died last year, but he knew how loved he was and he really was the best dog in the world.

[Major Nikon]

8. I knew of someone who had their dog euthanized because of incontinence

As sad as it is at least this story had a happy ending as the dog wound up in a better home. Certainly most don't end this way, but at least they have a chance as opposed to just being put down which is what a lot of people do when they start accumulating vet bills.

I've owned many dogs and kept all of them alive as long as they weren't in pain. It almost always gets expensive near the end.

[SusanCalvin]

11. "It almost always gets expensive near the end."

Very true. When our vet built a new wing, we joked that we paid for it, and I don't think we were too far off. But we've always had pets (shelter/rescue), and we're not going to stop. When the first of our current three goes, we'll probably get another even at our age, but it will be a senior.

[dem in texas]

12. I saw this happen once

My nephew's cat had died and I took him to Operation Kindness to adopt a new cat and a man brought in an old dog to the shelter. So sad, don't know the story, the man even had the dog's toys. I think there might have been an underlying problem of some sort as Operation Kindness is a no-Kill shelter here in Dallas. And the man must have been concerned about the dog and wanted to keep it from being put down.

A few years back, our house was like an old dogs' home. We had four dogs, all elderly and ailing. We loved and cared for them until the end. I don't how you can abandon your loyal friends. I had a yorkie who lived to be almost 20 years old. I had to carry her everywhere as she could no longer walk. My vet had told me how to tell if she was in pain, so we kept her until the very end when the pain set in. Oh how I loved that little dog, I am tearing up just writing about her.

We just took in a little Chihuahua that had been living on the street. She weighs about 3 pounds and it took six men to catch her. She is very aggressive, but is calming down and in another month or so, I think she will fit right in with us. My dog and cat have already learned to ignore all her barking and snapping.

[coffeenap]

29. We took in a street-abandoned 3 lb chihuahua four years ago--

he is a blast! We live where winter is cold and outside is not a good option for many months, so it is great that running the hallways at home can feel like miles to him.

[red dog 1]

13. Here's another link

http://www.dailymail.co.uk//news/article-3429140/Aged-dog-cries-shelter-owner-walks-younger-pup-leaves-her.html

(I posted this link before you posted the new link)

"She underwent an operation to remove the tumors about three weeks ago.
She has one more operation to go to get that last tumor.
But she's been a typical, happy, healthy dog.
She's always stealing cookie and pizza scraps -- she eats like a horse.
She's very good with other dogs, and with cats.
She's a sweet old girl."


Thanks for posting, Omaha Steve

[Liberal_in_LA]

21. She is not as old as they first thought

[onecaliberal]

14. :

[spooky3]

15. I can only hope that the family simply could not afford the medical care.

I adopted a rescue cat who was given up for that reason (owner lost her job; cat is older), and sadly, it is very common.

Otherwise, I think what they did was unforgivable and I am very glad Cookie is in rescue and has lots of people helping with time and money.

[Rhiannon12866]

17. This pup's story choked me up, reminds me of my Barney.

I grew up with a blond cocker like very this, so when one came up for adoption on the "Pet Connection" segment of the local news, my mother called me and I called the number before the show was even over. They said he needed "a special home" because he was 10 or 11, had been used at a "commercial kennel" for his entire life, had never lived with people and was not housebroken. We went to meet him at his foster home the very next day and I was lucky enough to be chosen to adopt him. His amazing foster mom had done such wonders with him, but the real credit goes to Barney who, despite everything, had the best temperament and I was fortunate to have had him for eight wonderful years. I will always be grateful that he found me... I just had to post this to say that, sometimes, there are happy endings.

My Barney

[Judi Lynn]

18. So glad precious Cookie finally has a real home. Hope they will love her.

She clearly loves others herself.

If only people would respect other lives in this world. May heaven protect the helpless, somehow.

[Logical]

19. I would not let the assholes take another dog! Nt

[milestogo]

20. I have pet insurance.

I don't ever want to be in a position where I can't afford to give my dog the care he needs.

I know how expensive it can be to take care of an older dog, but they are family.

[PasadenaTrudy]

33. I do too

My last dog, who passed in 2014, became very ill and expensive. I got insurance for my next pup, who I adopted at age 4. It's only $35 a month for now at least.

[a la izquierda]

22. This enrages me.

I have a senior dog who is dying of cancer. I refuse to do chemo on him, as he wont understand the pain and sickness and it will only buy him a few months. But I will give him the best care until the end.
I wouldn't trade him or the money it costs to keep him comfortable.
Monsters.

[yourpicturehere]

23. Don't discount chemo...

We had a dog get lymphoma (which is the most common form of cancer in a dog, I'm told.) We took him to an oncologist at Blue Pearl Veterinary clinic for treatment. (There are several in several states.) I had read up on chemo and found that dogs don't react as badly as humans to chemo. He was a finished champion and he felt so good and ate so well, that I joked with the oncologist that, had I known, I might have started chemo on him earlier. (I'm KIDDING for those of you who take everything literally) And, yes, we could joke, because he felt that good! We had him for a year, when the prognosis for untreated lymphoma is 2-3 months. He died peacefully in his sleep on Christmas Day, which was my Xmas present, cos I knew it was over and he went to sleep and never woke up. No pain, just peace.

The other thing about chemo is that, every dog that is treated gets them closer to a cure. Cancer mutates all the time and figuring out the best drug to use is part of the learning process. Since he did so well, I never regretted the chemo. The vets were great, allowing us to get tests at our vet's and give some of the chemo drugs ourselves to save money, and we had a happy dog for another year. The vets at BP would lie on the floor with him while he got his IV chemo...great people! He NEVER threw up or acted depressed.

The other thing that I took away from this was the difference in price in chemo for humans and dogs. He weighed 60 pounds, and I multiplied his weight to human weight and the price was so much different, even though it was for a human (and you can allow for people to pay as much as possible to survive), that I am wondering if the huge prices are justified.

There is also a supplement called K-9 Immunity Plus, which is for dogs with cancer.

Good luck with your baby.

[leftyladyfrommo]

24. I'm so glad you posted this.

I read about this some time ago and it just made me sick. I'm glad the dog is in a good place way better than the old place and is doing fine.

[bklyncowgirl]

25. If the dog is dying of cancer and you can't afford the treatment, have the courage to put him down.

Dumping a sick dog is downright cruel.

[malaise]

26. It's very sad but remember the family may not have been able

to afford the cost of looking after the sick old dog or give her the required attention.

[lostnfound]

27. It's very kind of you to do that

You're a good man, OS. Kind to animals. 👍

[DonCoquixote]

28. SCUMBAGS

I hope this family enjoys it when their kids leave them at a rest home.

[Omaha Steve]

30. I found this where Cookie was in the news

Published on Feb 2, 2016
A 15-year-old cocker spaniel named Cookie was heard crying at a San Bernardino shelter after she saw her family leave her behind in favor of a younger dog.

Last year did not end well for a 15-year-old Cocker Spaniel in San Bernardino named Cookie. She and another dog had been picked up as strays after being found wandering around. But when the family arrived to claim the two dogs on December 30th, they decided to take the younger Labrador home and leave Cookie behind. According to witnesses, she cried as she saw them leave without her. News about her situation spread, and a rescue group found a foster home for her. The Miami Herald reports that she will not be made available for adoption because of medical issues; instead, she will remain permanently at the foster home. Rescuers note that it is not uncommon for people to abandon older dogs for younger ones.

[Octafish]

31. May they dream like Napoléon .

“This soldier, I realized, must have had friends at home and in his regiment; yet he lay there deserted by all except his dog. I looked on, unmoved, at battles which decided the future of nations. Tearless, I had given orders which brought death to thousands. Yet here I was stirred, profoundly stirred, stirred to tears. And by what? By the grief of one dog.

Napoleon Bonaparte, on finding a dog beside the body of his dead master, licking his face and howling, on a moonlit field after a battle. Napoleon was haunted by this scene until his own death.”

― Napoléon Bonaparte

[awoke_in_2003]

32. Not a dog guy

but I hate cruelty, and that is what this is.

[restorefreedom]

34. what a horrible ordeal,for that poor doggie

she will be loved forever now..

as to the people who abandoned her, there is karma....

[jillan]

35. How can people be such assholes ?

Hopefully the story gets out and that dog will get adopted

[beevul]

36. That is unbelievably cold. N/T