Marigold

When we agreed to take Marigold into rescue care, she was stated to be a senior dog. Her body was frail and she lacked energy, her emotions were all but gone. A shelter volunteer took her out on a walk and her personality started to come through just enough to let the world know this girl wasn't giving up yet. 

She was horribly underweight, her coat was thin and brittle and missing patches over her bones on her hips because she was so emaciated. Her fur was falling out by the handful due to mange. 

Marigold was also heartworm positive. A dog marked as a senior that is also heartworm positive had no chance of making it out alive. She entered into a possible foster-to-adopt but the other dog in the household was having nothing to do with a strange dog in his space, so she eventually moved into our direct care.

Over several months, her skin healed and recovered. Her coat grew back in and got healthier, she gained weight, and after several months she was ready to undergo heartworm treatment. 

As she healed and settled in, this once "senior dog" was suddenly running laps and play bowing the youngsters. Out veterinarian evaluated her and knocked a good 5 years off her shelter-estimated age taking her from 9-10 years old to 4-6 years old. 

Who's a senior dog now? 

After her heartworm treatment, we worked with her on her house manners because suddenly all bets were off when she heard she wasn't a senior dog. After the greater part of a year, and 3 adoption applications that didn't return contact, someone finally did! 

She had recently lost her Golden Retriever to age related complications and it's hard to be alone when you have had a canine companion for so many years. We made the trip for her to meet sweet Marigold, and it was an instant connection like we have helped happen so many times, but this one seemed extra special. 

Mari is living happily with her own dedicated person and and extended family of dog-loving enthusiastic relatives that come for visits often. 

To think she nearly lost her life after being marked as an emotionally shut down senior dog in October to being the center of someone's world today. 

Enjoy your home, Mari, and your person. We are so thankful to have been part of her rescue journey, and we are so thankful that Cuddly supporters could help us make Mari's dream of her own home with a healthy body a reality.