In May of 2021, we had to say goodbye to our sweet permanent resident, Rajah. He was only with us for a few months, but those few months were filled with love and adventures. Raj was made a permanent resident shortly after his arrival because of his advanced age and long list of medical issues. We are so thankful to his forever foster mom for taking such great care of Rajah. And we’re thankful for our many supporters who sent donations for him.
His foster mom wrote the lovely tribute below.

Sleep well, Rajah. We will never forget you.

❤️

“Rajah came to live with us as a palliative foster with Ladybird Animal Sanctuary. Raj (as he was affectionately known) came with a host of medical issues, mostly blind, mostly deaf, mouth full of rotten teeth, enlarged heart, heart murmur & heart failure. Due to the severity of his heart condition, it was estimated he would live for around 3 months. Because of Raj’s medical issue & the condition of his fur, he qualified for a grooming under pandemic guidelines. After his groom he was a different dog. Full of personality, wanting to do things, go places & eat better.
We created a bucket list & started taking Raj where ever we could. Site seeing around Niagara, Dairy Queen for ice cream, McDonalds & he went to work with me at Global Pet Foods Fennell. Raj wandered around the store at his own pace checking everything out, getting thoroughly spoiled, tons of treats during the day & bags of donated treats to take home. His favourite treats were liver wafers, dehydrated chicken & beef jerky to chew on. Customers would come in to see him or stop & ask how he was doing. Staff would say hi as they passed him, or stop & give him scratches.
At home Raj loved exploring the backyard with his foster siblings, helping mom cook, clean & checking out every open cupboard. Sunbathing was a favourite too. He got to chew on the biggest bone he’d ever seen. Really enjoyed chewing on smoked bones. When mom got home he greeted her with a crazy dance, bouncing, jumping & howling. She’d scoop him up & he’d kiss her forehead.
His stress-relief bed was the best place to sleep. And wow Raj could snore!!
Two weeks ago, Raj’s health started to decline. After consultation with the vet it was decided to allow Raj to continue on his next journey. We will miss this sweet, gentle, loving little old man ❤️🐾🙏🌈”

Bucky and Rajah ended up at Hamilton Animal Services when their owner passed away. We were lucky enough to have a foster home available, and we got them out of the shelter and into the vet first thing.
Rajah had quite a number of health issues when he came into our care. He had cataracts and a painful infection in both eyes. He has a cough, a heart murmur and an enlarged heart. His blood tests were overall good, but there is a chance he has hyperthyroidism. Because of the advanced stage of Rajah’s enlarged heart and his other health issues, he is not expected to be with us for very long, but he still has lots of life in him.

Due to his advanced age and recurring health issues, we’ve made Rajah a permanent resident. This means he will stay in his foster home under our care for as long as his health and quality of life allows. He’ll continue to get the medical treatment he needs, and lots and lots of love, for however long he is with us.
Rajah has been doing great in his foster home. He’s feeling better after a professional groom, and the eye infection has cleared up. His foster mom says he’s not a lap dog, but he loves to be petted and scritched. He has a big smile on his face when he’s getting some love. Rajah really enjoys the company of his foster siblings, and he is great at helping in the kitchen! His foster mom has been taking him on lots of adventures to help him live his life to the fullest.

We love you Rajah!