Dogs with medical issues are often among the last to be adopted at many shelters. People are looking for a dog with greater energy and the ability to move about more effortlessly.
This implies that dogs with mobility impairments are often overlooked while looking for a new home.
Charlie is a Shih Tzu that has defied the odds
Charlie, who is just seven years old, still has several years ahead of him.
Unfortunately, the tiny Shih Tzu, who was initially called Simon, had some medical issues. And, although Charlie did find a home after first arriving at the shelter, it was not to be.
His reduced mobility was assumed to be the result of an injury paired with his youthful but ageing physique.
Complications that were unanticipated
Unfortunately, Charlie’s new owners were unable to bend down and pick him up to bring him up the stairs at his new house.
As a consequence, Charlie was returned to the shelter, and he was back at square one in terms of finding his forever home.
Charlie begins to lose hope
Charlie took it fairly hard and lost his positive and enthusiastic attitude on life. He retreated and refused to make eye contact with anybody, even the shelter workers.
He’d just sit there and gaze at the wall. His life had been overwhelmed by hopelessness.
Then, all of a sudden, everything changed
Mackenzie Purdy had entered the shelter and seen Charlie, who seemed to be in need of some affection.
With the intention of adopting another dog, she decided to take the time to see if she could coax Charlie out of his shell.
“He was a bit older and he walked a little funny, so I had a feeling that not many people would be interested in him,” Mackenzie said to The Dodo. “So many people won’t be interested in the dogs that don’t come to the front of the cage at the shelter.”
Charlie didn’t make it easy
Charlie seemed to be keen to stay to himself at first, even when Mackenzie brought him out into the yard to play.
He did, however, become increasingly interested in Mackenzie with time.
“I asked the shelter personnel if I could spend some time out in the yard with him,” she said. “He was really reserved and uninterested in me.” He didn’t exhibit much love, although he did give a very little tail wag when I got closer to him.”
Mackenzie then had a brilliant idea. Baxter, her second dog, was also taken to the shelter. Charlie immediately lighted up.
At this moment, she decided to adopt Charlie and bring him home.
“Charlie’s tail was wagging more, and Baxter was interested in him,” she remembers. “They said I could bring him home the following day.”
It seems like all Charlie needed to do was meet the perfect person and the right dog.
He was soon sprinting about with Baxter, attempting to keep up while smiling the entire while. Furthermore, he gets along well with the rest of Mackenzie’s family.
“He has been adjusting well,” Mackenzie said. “My boyfriend and I have been taking him on short walks and picking him up when we encounter steps. He is a very good boy. He is very quiet and goes with the flow.”
In the video below, you can see Charlie’s sweetness in action!
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