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My husband and I sometimes take in small dogs from the local kennel who would otherwise be euthanized. I got a call one day from them to come down, that they had a 3-pound poodle that they could not adopt out because of her age and special needs. Being blind and deaf, they were going to euthanize her. I could have her if I wanted her. So I went down immediately.

DOG. PHOTO: PIXABAY/CHILI71

They said that animal control was called to a scene at an apartment where the owner was dead for over two weeks. There were two poodles there with the body. The family took the one dog and dumped this one at the local kennels. So we walked into where they keep the dogs. From a huge dog kennel with a tiny litter box, they pulled out this tiny 3-pound little black fuzzball of a dog. You could not see her face or eyes or toes, just a mass of dark, dirty matted fur.

We took her home and bathed her; the dirt ran off her and she was white under it all! I am a professional groomer, so I got out the clippers and began cutting off the hair that was matted. I even managed to give her a fancy show pom-pom cut... just for fun, as I thought she should look and feel fancy. It was a huge difference to look at her.

I put a little shirt on her, as she was cold and scared. I got a baby bassinet and a child's playpen for her to be near me and safe. In a day, she wanted out. She did the perimeter of the rooms and knew them in one day. She at that point ran the house. I still had her sleep in a baby bassinet next to me at night for her safety.

PHOTO: JENNIFER LEDER

I took her in as a hospice case. I didn't expect her to live a week or month. She lived four years to be 22-years-old. She died in my arms at home. She was a strong brave soul. Her blindness and her deafness never stopped her from doing things. She was amazing, and her story should be known. I always said she was a tiny angel on Earth. It was a pleasure to be around her. I miss her as she passed away in 2018.

Story submitted by Jennifer Leder from Lakewood, Ohio.

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!