My Special-Needs Dog

A few years back I rescued a black labrador dog named Barney from abandonment. His owners tied him in the back yard, moved away, and left him to starve to death. When I found him, he was 10 years old and severely malnourished. He was still friendly and in good spirits, but he kept his tail between his back legs a lot of the time.

I was a sucker for his large brown eyes, so I adopted him. What I didn't know at the time was that he was suffering from cancer in his back hips. I had him for about 2 years when I found out. The veterinarian said that cancer in the hind quarters of labradors was common. He slowly had increasing pain and trouble standing. He was healthy up until the last few months of his 13 year long life. Standing was painful for him, but he hung in there.

The veterinarian at the Paws and Claws clinic in Florence, New Jersey helped me to keep him medicated and feeling no pain. They were grateful that I cared for Barney because without a good home and a loving owner, he wouldn't have lasted as long as he did.

Barney was a wonderful pet: full of energy and spirit, loyalty and compassion. A large dog of his medical condition and age wouldn't have been easily adopted from an animal shelter, and would have been euthanized. Ever since my Barney passed away I've had a big soft spot for extra large dogs and pets with special needs.