Eddie

Eddie was one of the many senior dogs we were able to take into our care this year. We receive calls almost every week about old dogs who suddenly have nowhere to go after their owners pass away or move into care facilities. That is how Eddie, an 8lb, 12-year-old Chihuahua, found himself in a crowded shelter. After his owner died, his remaining family was not able to care for him and had no choice but to surrender him. When Eddie arrived at the shelter, he was missing most of his teeth, nearly hairless from living with long-term skin issues, suffering from ear infections, and he had a heart murmur. This poor little guy was also struggling with the grief of losing his longtime person and the stress of the shelter was overwhelming. He needed to get out and into a stable, quiet home right away.

An urgent plea went out to find Eddie a permanent home and one that could help him feel safe again after so many changes in his life. We were relieved when a brand new Old Dog Haven foster home that had previous experience caring for strong willed, feisty chihuahuas stepped forward! They were told Eddie didn’t like to be handled, but within just a few hours of arriving, he was already comfortable enough to ask for pets and belly rubs. Over the next few weeks, his foster family worked hard to build trust with him and loved watching Eddie reveal his true sweet and sometimes very spicy personality.

Eddie finally received the medical care he needed to heal. He saw the vet and started antibiotics for his ear and skin infections, and his new family made sure to give him medicated baths twice a week along with an exfoliating moisturizer to soothe his rough skin. He also received an echocardiogram and met with a cardiologist to evaluate his heart murmur. Once the cardiologist deemed his heart was strong enough for anesthesia, Eddie underwent dental surgery to extract additional teeth.

These days, Eddie’s living the good life. His foster mom tells us he lives every day to the fullest and delights in the simple things like meal time, laying in the sun, and snuggling with his new family. She tells us why living with this little character is always amusing.

“As Eddie has settled in, he has literally sped up. When a meal is served, a snack is to be had, or it’s clear someone is going to bed Eddie will be there with the quickness. He skitters his little feet across the hard floor as fast as he can, until he reaches the carpet and can really take off. I laugh out loud every single time. He also loves watching TV like no dog I’ve ever seen and I spend more time watching him trying to figure out what he thinks is going on than I do the actual shows.

“Eddie has been with us for almost 3 months now and we love having him around. He is always making us laugh and everyone he meets falls in love with him. We are honored and blessed to get to be this little man’s last stop on the planet. We will do our best to make sure it is full of as many warm blankets and snacks as you could possibly want. None of this would’ve been possible without the help of Old Dog Haven and the amazing staff and volunteers that help to give dogs like Eddie such wonderful new beginnings!”

Eddie is sponsored by: