The story of Cookie, an elderly Cocker Spaniel, has broken the hearts of many dog lovers. Her owners left her behind at an animal shelter because she had gotten too old and the family didn’t want to take care of her anymore.
The family then left with a younger dog as Cookie whimpered and cried.
Someone from the San Bernardino City Animal Shelter posted a picture online of the sad Cocker Spaniel, and the news quickly spread via social media.
Source: San Bernardino Animal Control
“I am a female, red and buff, Cocker Spaniel. Shelter staff think I am about 15 years old. I have been at the shelter since Dec 30, 2015,” the post reads.
Cookie was brought to the animal shelter because someone had mistaken her for a stray dog. Her sibling Lab was also taken in. When the family arrived at the shelter to reclaim their dogs, they only brought the younger pup back home. Cookie was simply left behind as she saw her family leave the shelter without her.
Luckily, the abandoned pup didn’t have to be alone for much longer.
A couple of volunteers from OC Small Paws heard about Cookie’s story and wanted to give the Cocker Spaniel all the love and attention she deserved.
Source: OC Small Paws
If they didn’t step in, it’s likely that Cookie would have been euthanized due to her old age. However, Cookie certainly had a lot more life left in her and gladly took advantage of this second chance.
The adorable pup was immediately placed in a foster home, and doctors also wanted to check on her condition to make sure she was healthy.
For the first time in a while, Cookie was finally able to live again and play as much as she wanted to.
However, it was obvious that Cookie still had a long way to go. Doctors diagnosed her with 12 cancerous tumors on ovaries, which could imply that she was overbred. Doctors also assume that she was only kept outside for a long period because of the amount of dirt that was already embedded in her fur.
After a couple of surgeries and a ton of love, Cookie has been doing much better and is finally leading a happy life.
She underwent an operation to remove the tumors about three weeks ago. She has one more operation to go to get that last tumor,” Lynn Hamilton of the dog adoption group OC Small Paws explained. “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. I think she mostly just likes the attention — I think she was starved of attention before. She’s a sweet old girl.”
The volunteers also made the decision not to put her up for adoption given her recent medical issues and history.
Instead, they promised that Cookie would remain under their care.
They also want to motivate people to adopt older dogs at shelters, because they still have a ton of life left in them and life is always worth living.
“We have made the collective decision to not adopt her out,” the organization wrote on their Facebook page. “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.”
Cookie was once left behind, but now the Cocker Spaniel couldn’t be any happier with her new loving family.
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Cookie gets a grooming & a toy!
Cookie had her spa day! Years of matting and dirt had to come off!
Posted by Pat Kurtz on Monday, January 4, 2016
Source: Pat Kurtz, The Daily Mail, The Sacramento Bee, The Dodo, Lois Chisholm
