Senior pups often spend a lot of time at the shelter, because people generally prefer to adopt younger and more energetic canines instead. Charlie, an adorable Shih Tzu from New Jersey who had already reached somewhat of a senior age at seven years old, was about to lose all hope.
After spending a few months at the shelter, someone adopted him but he was returned almost right after.
The new owner didn’t want to deal with Charlie’s limited mobility because of his age and a potential injury.
Vets think that the pop has an injury in one of his spinal discs, which is why the pup can’t stand well on his feet and constantly wabbles.
The poor pup couldn’t walk up the stairs on his own, and the owner quickly decided to just return the pup to the shelter because the owner wasn’t able to bend down to carry him around everywhere.
In other words, Charlie was right back at square one in the shelter.
It was clear that the Shih Tzu didn’t lead a happy and optimistic life there. Even though the shelter crew did their best to keep Charlie busy and give him as much affection and attention as possible, the four-footer still felt lonely, depressed and needed more human interaction.
Charlie’s mood started to worsen soon.
The small dog refused to make eye contact with anyone who passed by, even the shelter staff. He also kept staring at the concrete wall in the shelter and didn’t want to interact with the other pups. He felt absolutely hopeless.
However, that all changed when one special person walked into the shelter and wanted to bond with him.
When Mackenzie Purdy first saw Charlie, she noticed that he wasn’t doing too well and was in urgent need of some tender loving care in a warm home.
Mackenzie was looking to adopt another pup, and she couldn’t get Charlie out of her head. She figured that the Shih Tzu just needed someone to feel comfortable with and that he would eventually break out of his shell. Because she feared that other potential adopters might not see that in the poor pup, she wanted to spend some more time with him.
“He was a bit older and he walked a little funny, so I had a feeling that not many people would be interested in him,” Mackenzie said to The Dodo. “So many people won’t be interested in the dogs that don’t come to the front of the cage at the shelter.”
Charlie was still quite reserved and wasn’t too keen on bonding with Mackenzie at first. He was distant, but the woman did notice that Charlie slowly started to show some signs of improvement.
“I asked the shelter staff if I could spend some time with him out in the yard,” she recalls. “He was very reserved, and not very interested in me. He did not show much in the way of affection, but he did do a very little tail wag when I walked closer to him.”
Mackenzie then had a great idea that would turn Charlie’s life around.
The kind young woman was determined to give Charlie a better life. Since bonding with him wasn’t going as quickly as she’d hoped, she decided to bring her other pup, Baxter, along the day after.
Baxter and Charlie hit it off right away. You could just see the excitement that little Charlie had, as he started waggling his tail more and more. Everyone then thought it’d be a great idea to take Charlie home.
“Charlie was wagging his tail more, and Baxter was interested in him,” she recalls. “They told me I could come the next day to bring him home.”
Even though Charlie may not be as fast or as sturdy as Baxter, the large smile on his face speaks more than a thousand words. He also gets along really well with the rest of the family and loves to play around.
“He has been adjusting well,” Mackenzie told. “My boyfriend and I have been taking him on short walks, and picking him up when we encounter steps. He is a very good boy. He is very quiet and goes with the flow.”
Just one week earlier, Charlie was a pup who constantly kept staring at a wall and refused to make eye contact with everyone. Now, this Shih Tzu still has a very warm and affectionate life ahead of him, and he never passes down the opportunity to snuggle around with his new family. How adorable!
