Nineteen years old and happy, Annie the dog!
But sadly, it wasn’t always like that. The elderly Labrador retriever mix was turned over to a Dallas Animal Services shelter in the summer by his former owner. Veterinarians said Annie had barely a month to live when she came to the hospital frail and ill.
Dallas Animal Services requested animal lovers to think about fostering Annie on social media to make sure the dog’s final month was full of affection.
The moment Lauren Siler saw Annie’s post from Dallas Animal Services, the business analyst “knew I had to find out how to get her,” she tells PEOPLE.
“I then showed her picture to my roommate and best friend Lisa, who saw the picture and immediately said, ‘We have to get her,'” according to Siler.
Inquiries regarding fostering the elderly dog were made to Dallas Animal Services by Siler and her friend Lisa Flores. The animal shelter gave the pair directions to The Pawerful Rescue, which had taken on Annie’s care as she awaited a foster.
When Siler and Flores submitted their request for Annie’s foster care to the Pawerful Rescue, they were “very transparent about Annie’s condition and that the vets estimated we would have a month with her,” according to Siler.
Siler and Flores weren’t alarmed by Annie’s condensed timetable. The friends decided to foster the Lab mix and give “her the best dang month of her life.” Siler and Flores made a bucket list for the dog to make sure they packed Annie’s days with fun, affection, and comfort. The pair first met five years ago while working at the same elementary school.
“When Lisa and I got her at the end of June, we were prepared for her to be with us for only a month. That’s when it sparked the idea, do a bucket list,” she adds.
“We started with just a few things like a car ride, swimming,” she continues, “birthday party, Christmas in July, and it took off from there.”
By the end of July, Flores and Siler, who had been chronicling Annie’s travels off her bucket list on Instagram (@dallasanimalfoster), realized that she “wasn’t ready to go,” so they kept adding to it.
“She has had over 500 Valentines sent to her for Valentine’s Day in August, made paintings, been a chef and made homemade dog treats, hosted baby showers, gone on a hamburger tour, and so much more,” adds Siler, adding that Annie’s over 19,000 fans suggest activities for the elderly dog to partake in next.
The initial predictions of Annie’s veterinarian have been far exceeded. The dog, whose expected lifespan ended in June, is still enjoying her adventures with her foster family.
“I think she quickly learned that living here was ‘the good life,'” says Siler. ” We were going to spoil her rotten, say ‘Yes’ every time she asked for a treat, take her places, and give her a full life for however long she is with us”.
Annie enjoys napping, snoring, taking bathroom breaks, receiving mail, and marking things off her bucket list.
“She lights up when fan mail packages arrive. It’s hilarious! She genuinely smiles and loves getting mail. We started documenting her ‘smile’ every time someone sent her something on Instagram, and so many people have noticed,” Siler said.
In addition, Annie enjoys eating and will perform a “happy dance” for it. The owners of Annie, Siler, and Flores, hope that Annie’s followers would be moved by the senior dog’s adorable demeanor and decide to adopt older rescue animals.
“We absolutely encourage others to foster. Without someone stepping up to foster, the sad reality is that these dogs are being put down daily because shelters are just simply overwhelmed. Annie is special to us, but not a unicorn. Hundreds of Annies are sitting in a shelter right now. Waiting for someone to step up and care for them,” she adds.
She continues, “These older dogs have given so much of themselves to someone just to be dumped at the shelter. I feel like we owe it to these seniors to help them finish out their life strong.”
As long as the dog is motivated and has the energy to participate, Annie’s bucket list will remain active. Follow @dallasanimalfoster on Instagram to witness Annie’s most recent exploits.
Source: People
