22-Year-Old Dog Was Returned To The Shelter After 15 Years With Her Family

Agatha arrived as a stray at a Texas animal shelter in 2011 when she was about 7 years old. Not long after that intake, a family adopted her and she left the kennel for what everyone hoped would be a permanent home. Fifteen years later, now estimated to be 22 years old and both blind and deaf, Agatha was brought back to the same shelter by the family who had adopted her. The reason listed for surrender was simply that she was old. Maddie Cantrell, a volunteer and founder of The Senior Dog Squad, said she was shocked to see Agatha returned to an unfamiliar kennel after so many years. Houston-based Pippy’s Pals Rescue stepped in so Agatha would not remain in the shelter. Cantrell took Agatha into her care, and the senior dog has been settling into a quiet home with other older rescue dogs. Staff say she’s getting plenty of rest, is beginning to integrate with the household, has a healthy appetite and already has a favorite spot. Cantrell — who also uses the nickname “Aggie” for her newest charge — has committed to keeping the dog for the rest of her life and believes Agatha still has quality days ahead surrounded by love and dignity. The case is part of a larger trend Cantrell sees: in the past three years The Senior Dog Squad has taken in more than 20 older dogs as fosters, hospice cases or permanent family members, and senior animals are frequently harder to rehome. Cantrell hopes Agatha’s story will encourage people to foster, volunteer, or consider hospice care for older dogs and cats, noting a continued need for volunteers and foster homes to help animals in their later years.