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Unadopted for months, an old dog gets a new home
McCook Gazette
McCOOK Neb. --A Christmas miracle of sorts occurred for an senior dog that was having a hard time finding a home.
Staff at the McCook Humane Society were almost in tears Wednesday evening when Sammy, a gray-muzzled, 8 to 10-year-old cocker spaniel, was finally adopted by Lori Wood of North Platte. He had been at the shelter since October and as an older dog, had been overlooked by many potential owners.
It's a familiar story, according to Lorie Prestes, director of the McCook shelter. "Nobody wants these old dogs, people walk right by their cages," she said. Prestes said she understands that sentiment, as many think older dogs will die soon or have future medical problems. Still, older dogs can give many years of companionship and don't have "puppy problems" of housebreaking or chewing.
Throughout the months at the shelter, Sammy had endeared himself to the staff, although it didn't start out that way.
He first came to the McCook Humane Society "a matted mess," recalled Prestes. He had been dropped off by someone who said she was watching him for a friend who never returned. Not only was his fur filthy and tangled in knots, his toenails had never been clipped and had curled up into his paws, Prestes said, causing the dog to yelp in pain whenever someone tried to touch him.
After the shelter shaved him and clipped his nails, he was a new dog, Prestes said. "In fact, we almost named him Casanova, he was so affectionate," she said. There were still problems, though: his teeth were rotting and Prestes wondered how many had to be removed. She took him to be neutered at Red Willow Animal Clinic and found out most of Sammy's teeth had to be extracted. (The shelter also works with and gets discounted prices from Four Winds Animal Clinic in McCook.)
"Oh dear God help us, we don't have the money," Prestes remembered thinking. "But we had to do it, I couldn't pass that on to a new owner."
Now out of pain, Sammy quickly became a favorite at the shelter. But after being passed over time and time again, Prestes wondered what she could do to get him, as well as several other older dogs at the shelter, adopted. The no-kill McCook shelter keeps dogs until they're adopted and dogs are frequently let out during the day, but a life inside a kennel is not ideal for the animal, Prestes said.
Ever the optimist, she decided to showcase the dogs, as well as other shelter animals, on the McCook Humane Society's Facebook page as "Letters to Santa" for the 12 Days of Christmas. Each dog "wrote" a letter describing themselves and asking if Santa could find them a home.
When Sammy was featured with his grizzled face and sad eyes, Lori Wood of North Platte felt a tug at her heart.
"I couldn't stop looking at him," she said, who grew up with a cocker spaniel and currently has three cockers at home. "They are such a loving breed and always happy to see you. I just couldn't leave him in there."
She and her husband, Arlyn, talked about it and Wood decided to come down to McCook to adopt Sammy, sooner rather than later.
"I thought I'd come down Friday, but I kept talking about it with friends at work and thought maybe Thursday, then I couldn't wait anymore," she said.
She believes she got the better part of the deal. "I sent my husband with the kids to their dentist appointment and I came down here," she joked.
Once Sammy was brought out from his kennel at the shelter, he nearly flew into Woods' arms with glee, Prestes recalled. "I cried when the old guy left," she admitted.
Wood said before she started the drive home, she stopped at "Mac's Drive In" for french fries and shared a few with Sammy, while they watched the sunset together. He then crawled into her lap and fell asleep for the ride home.
It was probably the most restful sleep Sammy has had in a long, long time.