Ophelia the shih tzu started in a Missouri puppymill, then spent 11 years with an elderly person who must have treated her very well. She landed in a shelter when her person died, was adopted, and then returned at 13 by the very angry adopter who said she made messes everywhere in the house despite a dogdoor. He didn’t mention that one of her eyes was protruding, bloodshot, turned sideways and blind from all the damage, and clearly he had frightened her badly.

Poor Ophelia was terrified at the shelter this time and couldn’t even get through a vet exam or blood draw. After 3 weeks of this fear she made an emergency escape to an ODH home and saw the opthalmologist immediately. Our vet found that she was otherwise quite healthy and the dead painful eye was removed – Ophelia felt SO much better immediately.  She still had fears to deal with; the car was terrifying and being in a strange place was also. She adjusted to the new environment quickly, however, and recovered well from her surgery.

Upon a move to a much quieter ODH home Ophelia settled in with a great sigh of relief and turned her attention to her hobby: begging for treats, part of your meal, or even her OWN meal. Through all of this she has never had one accident in the house, by the way.   Even after all the trauma she has been through, dear little Ophelia is a resilient, loving pup.  After only a week at her Final Refuge home, she runs to the door when her people get home and greets them with a wagging tail and a smile.  She is a lovely happy dog who basks in love and attention and enjoys her two canine buddies.  Her Final Refuge family is so grateful to Old Dog Haven for saving this sweet soul.

Update from her family:  After over 2 1/2 years, dear Ophelia let us know that although she loved us very much and knew clearly how much we cherished her, she was tired and it was time to leave.  Her neck and back had been getting increasingly painful and it was getting harder for her to get around.   So we arranged for our vet to come to our home so our sweet girl didn’t have to experience a scary car ride at the end.  He whole pack gathered around, while she happily munched on her favorite treats (well, the rest of the pack shared in the treats too) and then we said a very peaceful good-bye to our princess. She was such a memorable character – very loving (when she cuddled between us in bed) and did things on her terms – no one else would think of laying in her favorite bed – and she never even had to mention it!

Good-bye sweet one – enjoy meeting all those dears that have gone before – Skipper, Dobby, Penelope, Benny (and Johnny who was so much like you) and all the others.

You will always be in our hearts.

O and P

Ophelia napping with her sister Penelope

Miss O getting ready for bed – taking Daddy’s pillow!