A woman was waiting for a puppy, but then a ‘sweet’ older dog stole her heart.
According to the Golden Retriever Rescue of Southwest Florida, the woman adopted 13-year-old Mickey, giving him a second chance after his previous owner died.
“We are sorry that he lost his father, but we are so happy that he has a mother who loves him as if she had him all his life,” the animal shelter wrote in a Facebook post on April 15.
Mickey began his next chapter after experiencing the “heartbreaking” loss of his owner in November. He was left without a home and the rescue said he was ‘desperately in need of help’.
Then a woman agreed to take care of the oldest dog. She had reportedly lost two of her pets and “was on our waiting list for a young dog or puppy because she didn’t want to go through the grief again so soon.”
But the foster mother soon fell for Mickey, who “wooed his new family” with his personality.
“He joined their family and went on vacation,” Lynette Malinchak, board member and foster and medical coordinator, told McClatchy News in a phone interview. “He was just so sweet and so good.”
Mickey, who was underweight due to skin and eye infections, also began to recover after coming to the rescue. His foster mother decided she “didn’t want to uproot him” and became his owner in April, according to the animal rights organization.
“We love all adoptions, but when seniors who may have medical issues get adopted, that’s the best part,” Malinchak said.
And it turns out the foster mom got her puppy too. So Mickey has a “new sister to teach him and keep him young.”
The rescue takes place in Bonita Springs, about 25 miles south of Fort Myers.
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