A 13-year-old chow-shepherd mix was wandering the streets of Brooklyn, New York, in October 2016, and was quickly taken to Brooklyn Animal Care Center (NYCACC).
Unfortunately, medical staff would soon discover the senior pup, named Kayla, was seriously ill.
Kayla outside of Animal Haven | Erin O’Sullivan
Staffers with Animal Haven, a no-kill shelter in New York City, pulled Kayla from NYCACC after a couple of the shelter’s volunteers reached out. A veterinarian with Animal Haven gave the dog a full examination, and found oral cancer, MRSA (a type of antibiotic-resistant bacteria) and kidney disease. The vet estimated Kayla had about three to six months left to live, so Animal Haven teamed up with Foster Dogs, Inc.’s fospice program and found her a foster home to comfortably live out her remaining time.
A woman named Jillian Conigliaro had recently lost her beloved dog, Chloe Anne, to heart cancer at the age of 15. But when she saw Kayla at the shelter, she knew she wanted to help.
Stacey Axelrod
Though it had only been a short time since Chloe Anne had passed, when a representative with Foster Dogs, Inc. reached out to Conigliaro, she immediately signed up to help care for Kayla.
“I happened to be in Manhattan right by Animal Haven,” Conigliaro told The Dodo. “[My husband and I] went and met her, and we were like ‘Oh my God, that’s our dog.’”
Conigliaro and Kayla | Jillian Conigliaro
Kayla joined the Conigliaro family as a foster in November 2016. That day, she gained a mom, a dad, five human sisters, six canine siblings, one feline sibling and a rotating host of other foster friends.
Kayla (far left) with some of her new siblings | Jillian Conigliaro
“I think [Kayla] lived her whole life outside, alone — at least that’s what I imagine,” Conigliaro said. “I don’t think she had ever had the comfort of being indoors. She didn’t know what a bed was. She likes having her own space, and she loves standing outside in the rain.”
Kayla may like the rain, but her family has given her a fancy rain coat to protect her sensitive skin | Jillian Conigliaro
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