When you receive an urgent request for help from one of your shelter partners late at night, you just know the situation is going to be bad.
A super senior, well over the age of 15, found lying in the street was brought into the shelter. He was blind, deaf, severely underweight, had severe dental disease and his back leg was ripped open to the point that his muscle was exposed.
Regardless of his condition, no dog should die alone in a shelter kennel – he deserved love, kindness and dignity and we hope those few hours with us were a lifetime of love for him.
We named him Augie and took him directly to the emergency vet. We immediately began pain management and then exams began so we could identify the cause of his conditions and how we could best help him. As it turned out, the only responsible course of treatment was helping him cross over.
At Paws Give Me Purpose we put quality of life above all else and it was clear to our Vet Team that there was no bouncing back from the serious level of neglect Augie had endured.
This is one of those gut wrenching decisions that we sometimes have to make, but also a loving kindness that Augie deserved. He was only with us for a few hours, but we loved him beyond measure, and held him tight as he peacefully gained his Angel wings.
Life is truly fragile, a reminder that no matter how old or frail, Augie deserved to know warmth, comfort, and unconditional love. We are so grateful to our PGMP Team member Shelley for being there with Augie for every minute, holding him, loving him and for giving him the most precious gift of all—a peaceful and loving end to his journey.
Augie, we are so sorry you were abandoned in this condition and we were too late to help you. We hope you know that even though your time with us was very short, you were very loved.
We hope that you all remember, just because we can’t save them all, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.
