We are so grateful for the incredible adopters who love the seniors the way we do. They take on these precious souls who were discarded when they most needed someone, and they nurture them and fill their world with love, security, joy, and new wonders. They know the heartache will come sooner than most, but they do it anyway … all to make the last chapter of a dog’s life as wonderful as it can be.

When we save a dog from the shelter we rarely know anything of their past or their medical condition – we often don’t even know their age. Ruthie was at least 12-14 years old (the doctor thought older) and, though she wasn’t healthy when she left the shelter, with top-notch medical care she became strong, pain-free and a very happy and loving little girl.

Dianne adopted Ruthie knowing she might not live another year, but she wanted to give her a family and spoil her with love for the time she had left – and Ruthie more than returned that love. She became Dianne’s shadow. Dianne was her everything and Ruthie knew she was the luckiest little dog in the world. But sadly, her life with Dianne was shorter than any of us wanted or expected, and yesterday Ruthie let Dianne know the time had come to say goodbye. Our hearts ache.

Dianne wrote the following for us to share:

“This is so very hard to write. Only a week ago I shared an update letting everyone know how well Ruthie was doing and how much joy she brought to my life … but how quickly everything has changed.

“Over the last few days, Ruthie started refusing food and then water. I took her to the doctor and it was discovered she had some new mammary tumors, but more concerning, a large mass was discovered near her liver – so large that was putting pressure on her diaphragm. Rudi and I talked with the doctor for a long time and decided that the kindest thing to do was to help Ruthie cross the rainbow bridge. As most of you know it is the hardest thing that we will ever do for our babies but it shows them the most love. They trust us to make the right decision for them no matter how hard it might be for us.

“I don’t know much about Ruthie’s life before she was pulled from the shelter by Harley’s House of Dreams, but I do know that from the moment she was safe, she knew nothing but the love she so deserved. I cannot thank Rudi and Dan enough for trusting me to take care of this precious little soul, and while I only had her for a few months, she will be in my memory forever … and always in my heart.”

~ Love, Dianne – Ruthie’s momma

Ruthie’s story:
This little old girl was dumped at a Los Angeles shelter still wearing her t-shirt and we just received confirmation that she will be RELEASED TO US TOMORROW!! We already named her Ruthie! We’re told that she’s a senior, weighs only 4lbs, has mammary tumors and might possibly be blind – but that’s okay, we’ll provide her excellent medical care and lots and lots of love. Continue reading at this link: www.harleysdream.org/ruthies-journey – where you’ll find many beautiful photos as well as a timeline documenting Ruthie’s journey from shelter to forever home.