“She became a whole new dog.”
Tulissa Parsons, a volunteer at Philly Rescue Angels, was at an open intake shelter looking for dogs to take in when she locked eyes with someone who stopped her in her tracks — a senior pit bull who was looking up at her with sad, soulful eyes. Her name was Jade, and she’d recently been surrendered to the shelter.
Jade had a gray muzzle and was shaking in fear. According to her surrender paperwork, she was 14 — and had been left to spend the rest of her days in a cage.
Philly Rescue Angels
“She just looked so sweet … and it was sad because not only was she a large adult dog in this overcrowded shelter, but she was also a black pit bull, [and] they have an even harder time making it out of the shelter just because they’re hard to photograph,” Parsons told The Dodo.
Even though Philly Rescue Angels already had plenty of adult pit bulls, Parsons couldn’t resist scooping up the senior girl who was clearly begging for another chance. She posted Jade in the Philly Rescue Angels foster group, and a foster volunteer who’d worked with the shelter before immediately volunteered to take her in.
When Jade arrived at her foster family’s home, she wasn’t doing so well. She was dealing with tooth decay and arthritis so bad she could barely walk. She had pressure injuries from lying down on hard surfaces, missing fur from untreated fleas, and cropped ears that had gotten infected.
Philly Rescue Angels
But after just a bit of TLC, Jade completely transformed. She went on a spa day, where she got her teeth brushed, her ears cleaned and her nails trimmed. She went from limping around to having the zoomies and being able to walk for over a mile.
“We got her on medicine, I got her groomed, and she became a whole new dog,” Jade’s foster mom told The Dodo.
After having her around for only a couple days, Jade’s foster mom decided she wanted to become Jade’s forever mom. This was Jade’s reaction:
Philly Rescue Angels
“She lays her head on our laps every single night to go to sleep … [She’s] just really thankful to be loved,” Jade’s new mom said.
Jade’s family has to carry her up the stairs every night to her bed. But it’s a tiny price to pay for having such a sweet senior dog around.
“Having a senior dog beats any of my expectations I’ve ever had on [having] a dog,” Jade’s mom said. “They have so much love to give and so much life to live when they’re properly loved and cared for.”
Philly Rescue Angels
Parsons emphasized that if you’re interested in helping other dogs like Jade get a second chance, the best thing to do is sign up either as a shelter volunteer or as a foster parent for dogs who need it.
“You can actually really make a difference even by doing the littlest things,” Parsons said.
As for Jade, she finally feels happy, at home and at peace with her new loving family.
To help other animals like Jade, you can make a donation to Philly Rescue Angels here.
