A heartbreaking photo of a dog named Dessie has gone viral. The 14-year-old dog was dumped by her family at Miami-Dade Animal Services, and seemed destined to be put down, but the sad story appears to have a happy ending, thanks to the power of social media.
"Imagine living with someone for 14 years and all of a sudden they abandon you. That's exactly what happened," said Lyndsey Gurowitz-Furman, from the rescue group "A Way For a Stray."
Dessie's owner surrendered her at the Miami-Dade shelter on Sunday and someone snapped a photo of the dog as her family left her behind. Experts from animal rescue groups say older dogs run a higher risk of being euthanized.
"It's sad. People aren't going to the shelter to adopt senior dogs. They're looking for puppies," Gurowitz-Furman said.
"Owner surrenders don't have the five day stray hold that a stray dog would have. So anything can happen when they're taken in," added "A Way For a Stray" volunteer, Jeannie Dykstra.
Volunteers with "A Way for a Stray" came to Dessie's rescue and will care for her until they can find her the perfect home. They call her a great family dog.
"Her personality is lovely, she is extremely sweet, she loves all people that she meets. She pretty much ignores other dogs," Dykstra said.
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Dessie's already gone to the vet and will now be evaluated by the rescue group before she is ready for adoption. Volunteers say she's in pretty good shape for being such a senior dog.
"Just because it's a senior doesn't mean that they don't deserve a loving or happy home to live out the rest of their days or years," Gurowitz-Furman said.
The rescue group is accepting applications. If you are interested in adopting Dessie, click here for more information.
