A 15-year-old dog faced a new, heartbreaking unknown after her owners surrendered her to a North Carolina shelter, but thankfully, luck was on her side.
Mistie was her previous owner's childhood dog. One day, they decided they did not want her anymore and surrendered her to the Hoke County Animal Shelter. The shelter made a plea over social media on November 17 for someone to take in Mistie and live out her golden years.
When Alex Bostic saw the video a day later, she knew she couldn't scroll past it.
"That video absolutely shattered my heart," Bostic told Newsweek. "Her little sad eyes hurt my heart. I had to have her."
Bostic arrived with her kids in tow at the shelter on November 20. She said it would have been earlier but the shelter is closed on Sundays. Instead, she left first thing in the morning and drove four hours to ensure she would be the first one there to adopt Mistie.
Adopters will often overlook bringing home senior dogs as they may perceive older dogs as not being friendly or that the bond won't be as strong as in the case of a young pooch, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reported. Additionally, senior dogs might come with a hefty vet bill. But none of that seemed to matter to Bostic.
It took less than the four-hour drive back home for her kids to become obsessed with Mistie. The entire trip, she said, they kept asking to have Misite sit on their lap, arguing about who got to hold the pooch.
The rest of the family, especially her pit bull, loves Mistie. The cats, well, they will get there, she said. Bostic's husband was not aware she was going to adopt Mistie, but as soon as he returned home and saw how cute she was, he was on board.
Bostic has been sharing updates about Mistie to the TikTok account @a.lex42018.
Unfortunately, Mistie's first visit to the vet did not end with the best news. Bostic brought her to get checked after she noticed Mistie wasn't eating well. She wasn't chewing.
As it turned out, all of Mistie's teeth were rotting. The vet took bloodwork to determine if Mistie would be healthy enough to be put under as her age played a factor. But that came back as heartworm positive.
The costs of the heartworm treatment and getting Mistie's teeth pulled will be around $2,000, Bostic said. She thankfully had people donate already and if more funds exceed what she needs, Bostic plans on creating a fund called Mistie's Fund to help other senior dogs with large vet bills.
"It is what it is," Bostic said. "I'm happy to do it."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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