At 5am on a Sunday in July, a disheveled shitzu was found tied to a bench in a dog park. Next to the dog, were bowls, food and a couple of toys. Yet another dog had been abandoned. The kind person who found Mabel brought her to Hamilton Animal Services, but of course, no owner came forward to claim her. This poor dog has suffered serious neglect of her health. To start with, she is extremely thin. You can feel every bone in her body. Her teeth are horrendous. During her time at the shelter, she wouldn’t eat very much, and was exhibiting signs of a urinary issue. To top it off, she seems to be partially blind and deaf. Despite all this, Mabel is sweet as pie. Just wants to be loved by every person she meets.

We were happy to get Mabel out of the shelter when a foster home opened up, and Mabel went to the vet first thing. From initial tests, it seems likely that Mabel is suffering from late stage kidney disease. We’ll have to wait for other test results to come back to know for sure, but that diagnosis would explain her body condition, urinary issue, and her lack of appetite. Mabel’s foster family are experienced with senior dogs with health issues, and we know they’ll give Mabel all the proper care and spoiling she deserves.

When the shelter first asked us to help Mabel, our plan was to get her to the vet and schedule the dental surgery she desperately needs. But surgery is not an option for her in her current condition. We aren’t sure if she’ll ever be healthy enough to get that surgery, or to be made available for adoption, but we will do our best to help her feel better. She will stay with us as long as she needs to – even if that means she becomes a permanent resident. Our hope is that with all the love we show her, Mabel will come to know she is safe and will never be abandoned again.

Welcome to Ladybird, Mabel! We’re so happy you’re here.

August 11/24 UPDATE
After many tests, it has been determined that Mabel has stage 4 kidney disease. She’s doing well, but is definitely showing signs of the disease. As there is no surgery to help with kidney disease at this advanced stage, Mabel is now on medication to help keep her as stable as possible.

Because of her age and health issues, we’ve made Mabel a Ladybird permanent resident. This means she’ll stay with her foster family for the remainder of her life, and we will continue to cover the cost of medical care, food and supplies.

Mabel’s very caring foster family are the perfect fit for her, and we’re glad she has them and another dog friend (Polly) to spend the rest of her days with.

Though we are happy Mabel is safe and loved now, we wish her previous owners would have taken steps to get her the care she needed, or simply surrendered her. Abandoning Mabel the way they did was so unfair to her. When she needed her family the most – in her senior years and feeling poorly, her owners tied her to a bench in a dog park and walked away. Imagine how scared and confused Mabel must have been, and continued to be when she ended up at the shelter afterwards. Pet abandonment of this kind is at an all time high and there seems to be no end in sight. We understand some of the reasons people are no longer able to care for a pet, but dumping an animal is not the answer. We’ll never know exactly why Mabel’s owners chose to discard her in this manner, but we will do right by her for the rest of her days. She will be loved, medically cared for, and she will live without fear of being abandoned again.

We love you Mabel.

November 4/24 UPDATE

In a surprising turn of events, sweet old girl Mabel has been making some amazing progress. After an abnormally long heat cycle, we did another round of blood work and urine samples and her vet determined Mabel was stable enough to undergo anesthesia and get spayed! She was such a trooper during surgery and was able to get a much needed dental cleaning and 3 teeth removed at the same time! The poor girls ovaries were chock-full of cysts, which explains why she was so irritable, moody and restless.

Considering her age and kidney disease diagnosis she has been such a dream while recovering. Immediately seemed more comfortable and content, started sleeping through the night and has developed a much healthier appetite and regular eating schedule. She still has her needy moments (she is a snoozy, cuddly senior after all) – she knows how to use her voice to get our attention and into a comfy lap, but otherwise is clearly way more relaxed.

Luckily it appears the blood pressure and B12 supplements prescribed by her vet seem to be doing the trick in terms of keeping Mabel’s condition stable. While we’re still monitoring her recovery, and will need to do some post op blood work we are hopeful and considering Mabel may actually be made adoptable soon! Of course she is still a senior battling kidney disease, and struggles with slight hearing and vision impairments – but we truly think she could continue to thrive in the right home environment. She has learned to love her outdoor time and is the biggest cuddle bug ever.

Mabel is truly the definition of a comeback story. A seemingly hopeless senior who received such a tough diagnosis has made an unbelievable turn around and has a chance at a much happier rest of her life. There is honestly nothing like the love of a senior animal and Mabel has so much love to give. Look what love (and proper vetting and meds!) can do!

* UDPDATE December 8/24 *
Mabel is ready for her forever home!
Here’s a note from her foster family:
“If you’ve ever considered adopting a senior dog, but worried about the uncertainty, here is a chance to adopt a really sweet, loving old girl looking for a loving family and comfy home to spend the rest of her days with.
It’s been quite a rollercoaster with our little old lady Mabel. Back in July she was found tied to a park bench with a collection of her belongings. Thanks to Ladybird we were able to give this girl a second chance.
Her original health diagnoses seemed bleak – she was severely malnourished and it was determined she was in kidney failure. Since then she has made miraculous progress! While she continues to fight her kidney disease her bloodwork has determined she has improved drastically and now lives a much more stable day to day. We’ve finally nailed down a routine diet, which consists of a K/D renal wet food, and some lean protein to keep meals appealing to her. While not completely deaf, she does suffer from some hearing loss – and vision impairments. She can navigate around no problem, and is fine to go UP the stairs, she struggles on the way down and has a tendency to miss steps or overestimate the height of a curb.
The first few months with Mabel it was clear she was extremely restless and uncomfortable but luckily with all the progress she’d been making the fact that she was able to get spayed changed everything for her – she is now so calm, snoozey and snuggly. More than happy to sleep in and relax, but if you feel like being active she can keep up with the best of them! She’s really learned to love her outdoor time and even gets the zoomies after our morning walk and before breakfast.
At a recent vet visit they discovered a small polyp in her rectum, which has since been removed and determined it was benign.
I know it may seem intimidating to adopt a pet with an unknown lifespan, but there truly is nothing like the love of a senior animal. I feel like Mabel would thrive as a single dog household, perhaps a yard or easy access to outside for walks. Kidney disease is a little unpredictable in terms of her comfort and appetite so her potential family will need to be patient with her as every day can be different and you may have to experiment a little with foods that she would find appealing.
All in all, speaking from experience as someone who has adopted seniors in a similar state of health before I can’t say enough about how rewarding it can be to love and be loved by a senior dog. They have nothing but love for you and just seek patience and a comfy lap. If you think you could provide the right kind of environment for Mabel please consider applying for this sweet old soul.”