Love has a remarkable power to transform someone completely.
And it’s not just humans who experience this. Our furry companions can undergo incredible changes, too. So many of them face heartbreaking and difficult lives, which prevent them from reaching their full potential.
Living under such conditions rarely leads to happy pups. Many of them grow into shy, senior dogs with little confidence, and as a result, they often go unnoticed at shelters.
But for Sheba, fate took a kind turn.
Sheba, the Sweet Senior
Sheba, an adorable pup, spent 15 years living outside, never knowing the warmth of a loving home. But after being rescued and taken to a shelter, Sheba’s journey led her to a foster home with Veronica and Adam.
“She kind of looked like an old, neglected dog. She was super shaky and unsteady on her feet,” Veronica shared with The Dodo.
After discussing it with her partner, Adam, they opened their hearts to this sweet senior girl. Initially, they thought they would only foster her for a few months—but life had other plans.
Once in her new home, Sheba sniffed around, found a couch, jumped on it, and decided that this was her forever spot.
Couch Potato Life
Sheba quickly proved that becoming a couch potato was her true calling. Whenever a free space or a human is willing to offer cuddles, she makes herself right at home.
“Very quickly, though, we did realize that she had queen expectations. She wanted to be waited on. She doesn’t want to have to lift a finger. She had very high standards for lots of things,” said Veronica.
But the journey wasn’t without its challenges. A few months into fostering, Sheba went into heart failure, and her abdomen began to fill with fluid, requiring aggressive heartworm treatment. Thankfully, this difficult decision proved to be the best one they could have made.
After the treatment, Sheba began to flourish. It was as if time was reversing for her, and with each passing day, she became more energetic and youthful.
“She is like a real-life Benjamin Button to me. When I look at the past 16 months with her, it’s been so cool to watch her, quite literally, age in reverse. And I feel like she just has a kind of new zest for life that we just really weren’t expecting,” said Veronica.
Witnessing this incredible transformation, Veronica and Adam knew that adopting Sheba was the only choice.
All the love and care Sheba received from her new family helped her forget her troubled past, allowing her to embrace the bright future ahead fully!