One day, a 72-year-old grandma named Melani Andrews decided she wanted to adopt a dog from a local shelter in her home state of California. But she didn’t want to adopt just any dog.
Melani wanted to adopt the dog nobody else wanted.
And so, when she got to the shelter, she asked for the oldest dog that had the smallest chance of finding a forever home.
Melani was going through a rough period in her life, as she tragically lost her husband. Sometime later, her pet Lola, a Staffordshire terrier, also passed away.
Melani’s grandkids convinced her that she could use a new family member to keep her company.
“I was feeling down and a little depressed,” she said to The Dodo. “My grandkids came over one night, and they said, ‘Grandma, you need somebody to keep you company. You can’t just sit around here all by yourself.”
The woman finally took their advice and wanted to adopt a dog, but it had to be a special one.
“I wanted to help somebody — a dog — like Lola helped us, and so I told them I wanted the oldest dog they had, the one that everybody was passing up, and that I wanted to adopt him,” she recalls. “I don’t care if he’s sick, I don’t care if the shelter can help with bills. I don’t have a lot of money, but I’m sure I have enough to take care of a little dog.”
When Melani spotted the 12-year-old terrier Jake, she instantly fell in love. The dog was brought in as a stray a couple of months earlier.
“Jake’s two friends ignored me, but Jake perked up and started howling,” Melani told. “So I said, ‘It looks like he wants to go, and I’ll take him.’”
Staff members at the Front Street Animal Shelter were delighted that someone would want to adopt their oldest dog, but they also had to inform Melani about his condition. The senior pup was partially blind, completely deaf, and suffered from terminal skin cancer.
Doctors were unsure how long Jake had to live.
Bobby Mann, who works as a relations coordinator for the shelter, was delighted to hear that their oldest pup finally received the love that he rightfully deserved.
“It was amazing because she was one of the few people who actually gave this dog an opportunity, and you could just tell from that picture of how excited that dog was to have an opportunity to get out of the shelter,” the coordinator said. “He was one of our longest-standing residents. We were hoping that someone like her would come along, and give him the life that he deserved.”
Jake was still a bit nervous when Melani adopted him, and barked his caretakers goodbye.
After a couple of minutes, the pup was completely comfortable being around Melani and settled in perfectly.
“He laid his head in my right hand, and I drove with my left hand,” she said. “It was like he was saying, ‘OK, let’s see how we do together.’ It was really cute. I’ve never had a dog do that to me.”
The two best friends are treasuring every moment they can spend together, even if that time is limited.
In a way, you could say that Melani not only rescued Jake, but Jake rescued Melani as well.
“Every day I laugh a little bit more. It’s not so lonesome. I think [he] knows that I love him because he’ll come over to me and he’ll rub up against me and ask me to rub his backside. And then he’ll nose me with his nose. And a dog that doesn’t know that somebody loves him wouldn’t be doing anything like that.”
What a wonderful rescue story! We’re so glad Jake and Melani found each other and that Melani took a chance on a dog who no one else would.
Check out a video about the pair below!
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