Two Old Dogs on their Way to New Lives

Earlier this month, our Animal Rescue Team came to the aid of more than 150 dogs living on an overcrowded California property. Many of the dogs were sick, injured, pregnant, or nursing litters of puppies, most living in outdoor pens in the blistering summer heat.

After the owner voluntarily surrendered the dogs to The HSUS, our rescuers spent two days removing the dogs, with one field responder climbing into a tunnel to save a frightened dog. We then transported these animals to our emergency shelter and provided care and veterinary attention while we arranged placement with local shelters and rescue groups.

Ariana Huemer
Rescued dogs Toby (front) and Lil Mamma.

Two of the elderly dogs we found on this property especially stood out to our rescue team. Both animals are about 15 years old and were living outdoors in the rocky front yard of the residence. Toby is a hound mix who’s mostly blind and deaf, but he loves to be petted and quickly bonded with one of our Disaster Animal Response Team volunteers, Robin Post from the San Francisco SPCA. Robin decided to adopt Toby, and he’s now learning the joys of having air conditioning and a soft bed to sleep in.

The second dog, Lil Mamma, is a shepherd mix who was a bit scared when we first arrived. She has probably given birth to many litters of puppies. We knew that she might need a little extra help finding a loving home, so we were thrilled when Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco agreed to take her in. She is now called Beauty, and the rescue group writes:

"Beauty did not deserve the disturbing life she had to live for the past 10 years. She deserved love, care and comfort, but instead got the opposite.

Now at Muttville, you can imagine that Beauty, a small shepherd mix, is a bit shy. She is also a huge sweetheart!”

We are so grateful to Muttville for taking her in and for all their amazing work to help older dogs find good homes. We’re also grateful to Robin for adopting Toby and for transporting Beauty to the San Francisco area, where the dog has begun to wag her tail and open up to love and attention.

Beauty is now available for adoption, and you can also find many older pets waiting for a good home at your local shelter. This California rescue will be featured on an upcoming episode of Animal Planet’s show Confessions: Animal Hoarding. Now, all the dogs from this rescue are on their way to better lives.