Annie’s family voluntarily handed her up to a shelter in Texas during the summer of 2017 so that she may find a new home. On that day, the 19-year-old Labrador lost the only life she’d ever known, but she wouldn’t have to endure the pain for very long.
After learning about Annie’s predicament, Stephanie Rodriguez and Duke Hemstreet from The PAWerful Rescue came to the conclusion that they should make the most of the senior years of Annie’s life. They did so by grabbing a cart and loading Annie into their vehicle before making a pit stop at a burger joint on the route.
According to what Hemstreet said to The Dodo, “there was no doubt in any of our minds that we were going to help this girl.” “Sweet girl deserved a reward for her hard work.”
Annie was taken from the shelter very immediately after being rescued, and soon after that, she was put in the care of Lauren Siler, a foster mom who specializes in elderly hospice dogs.
“I saw Annie’s sweet face on social media,” Siler said in an interview with The Dodo. “They informed me that the veterinarian is suggesting [we’d be] fortunate if she has another month. We were simply thrilled to be able to bring her to a place where she could be comfortable and where she could experience an hour of love, days of love, weeks of love, or whatever the case may be.
Annie’s new foster home was filled with so much warmth and affection that it wasn’t long before she began behaving like a child half her age and smiling more than she ever had before.
Siler stated, “We have this big thing of dog toys sitting in the living room,” referring to the toy collection that can be found there. “She walked over there and got herself a toy, and we were like, ‘Oh my goodness!'” she said. She’s playing with it as a young dog might with a new toy.'”
Siler said that after Annie realized she still had a lot of life and energy left in her, she started making a bucket list of the things she wanted to do before she died. “How many activities can we cram into her schedule to make sure that she has the most pampered time that she possibly can?” Siler questioned herself, and the response she received was “a lot.”
What should we check off first on the list? A big celebration for someone’s 20th birthday.
And this was just Annie’s first time celebrating a holiday. The next holiday was Christmas, and at this time, Annie received a lot of brand new toys and sweets. The next day was Valentine’s Day, and Annie saw that she had hundreds of valentines sent to her from individuals living in different countries.
“It’s really awesome to see all of the love that’s being showered on Annie,” said Siler. “It’s really really awesome to see all of that.”
Annie’s golden years were filled with many joys, including celebrations of several holidays. In addition to that, she went on short road excursions, fell in love with Siler’s infant niece, “chased” Siler’s cats, tried every available meal, and spent a lot of time in the yard being the nosiest neighbor possible.
Annie was about to celebrate her one year anniversary, and by that time, she had completed everything on her bucket list and then some. She had a profound impact not just on the lives of her foster parents, but also on the lives of people who followed her exploits on social media. She outlived all the projections that the veterinarians had made and motivated others to open their hearts to senior canines.
Annie’s birthday was on June 24, and she spent the day partying with all of the people who love her. She made sure to meet every dog that came to her celebration, and she also enjoyed treats and hugs. Her body finally gave up later that night when she was at home. Her mothers hurried her to the hospital, where they made the heartbreaking choice to put an end to her suffering.
On Instagram, Siler attributed “so much of who I am today, to the fact that it is because of Annie.” She taught me a lot of valuable things, including the fact that life is worth living. When you least expect it, adventure and pleasant days might appear in your life. It is virtually always to one’s advantage to take a risk and answer “yes.” But maybe what is of the utmost importance is the fact that we live in a world populated by GOOD people!
You can follow Siler on Instagram to witness even more of Annie’s incredible year in her life. You will be able to commemorate Annie by making a contribution to a Texas animal shelter via this link.