A terminally ill puppy with just six months to live has been given a chance to experience the love and life every dog deserves.
Normally when a puppy comes to Forgotten Now Family Rescue in Charlotte, North Carolina, their adoption is something of a formality. While some senior dogs might struggle to find a new home, puppies are always in demand.
A study by Priceonomics, using data from the adoption website Petfinder, highlighted the phenomenon, with 95 percent of all puppies listed there finding a home. That proportion drops to 80 percent among even young dogs, while just 68.2 percent of senior pups end up adopted.
But from the moment Chrissy Elder, the owner of Forgotten Now Family Rescue, laid eyes on DeVito, she knew his life would be different.
DeVito came into her care via a request for intake over social media.
It was from a breeder that found this puppy was very different from the rest of their litter," Elder told Newsweek. "He would grow weak and his tongue turning purple with a lot of other symptoms."
Elder has helped in the rehabilitation and hospice care of many dogs with cardiac issues and could immediately tell DeVito was struggling with the same. Even so, she hoped for a good prognosis having fallen in love with the happy-go-lucky pup.
"I was praying his heart condition would be operable and we could give him the most beautiful long life," she said. "Unfortunately, that is not the reality."
DeVito was diagnosed with severe Subvalvular Aortic Stenosis (SAS) and has a number of structural heart defects and blood flow issues. He was also in Grade Four heart failure.
The veterinarians treating DeVito told Elder he would require "heavy medication" to bring him back to "a baseline" from which he could then enjoy "what little time he has."
"They have given us six months," she said. "I agreed to the treatment and we spent $3,500 to give him this chance. It wasn't in our budget, but I have no doubt this baby deserves a hospice journey and I plan to give him the best one."
The only positive news so far is that DeVito has responded well to the medication. He's happy and has already struck up a bond with Elder's son Bo, who she credits as a "huge part" of the shelter's rescue and fostering story.
Their first meeting gave DeVito the chance to experience the kind of joy every puppy should feel as they meet their family and play for the first time.
DeVito's delight at the cuddles and companionship Bo offered is clear, but the footage of them playing together is undoubtedly tinged with sadness for Elder.
She has struggled to come to terms with DeVito's situation. "It's heart shattering," she admits. "I honestly was not ready for another hospice yet. The hole in my heart from the last is huge."
Elder has suffered from cardiac and vascular issues herself and only recently had surgery. That experience has informed her care for DeVito and made her more determined than ever to pack a lifetime of happiness into his next six months.
"He didn't ask for this and we are on his time, not mine," she said. So for now, Elder is focused on providing DeVito with the home and family he should have had and she will gladly do the same for many more dogs to come, explaining: "I will always choose loving and saving them even if it hurts."
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