Dog gave up after deceased owner’s family surrendered him – now he has a second chance

Not long ago, a dog whose owner died found himself surrendered to a Texas animal control agency and quickly running out of time. The dog, Dexter, was clearly depressed and had given up hope of ever being loved again.

Fortunately, Dexter’s story doesn’t end at the shelter. The woman who originally saved him explains what she saw on the day that she visited the Texas shelter:

We noticed this sad dog just laying on the concrete floor with his head down between his paws… he didn’t get up and come over to see us like most of the dogs had done… he lifted his head and looked at us & then slumped it back down… this dog had given up… he knew nobody was interested & that nobody cared.

After learning that Dexter was “EU listed” she contacted the rescue that she volunteers with and arrangements were made to pull him to safety. She writes of what she learned about his past:

His owner had passed away and nobody in the family wanted to care for this man’s dog so they dropped him off. The man had dementia and simply “loved” this dog almost to death.

And described his freedom walk:

Just then one of the staff was walking the big dog up from the back and all of the staff began to gather as he waddled towards us… they started cheering him on as we led him outside to my truck! We stopped to snap his freedom picture and loaded him up… i could swear he was smiling!

So what did she mean by “loved this dog almost to death?” Dexter was severely overweight (weighing in at a whopping 82 pounds!) – dangerously so. He is now is a foster home with Kelly Marsh, with Brittany Rescue, and he is working on shedding 30 pounds from his frame. As reported by NBC DFW, the obese pooch has already lost two inches from his waist, and six pounds – best of all, he has started to feel better.

When Dexter sheds enough weight, he will be able to undergo life-saving heartworm treatment as well.

You can watch Dexter enjoy his second chance on the Dexter’s Journey Facebook page here.

(Image of Dexter via Facebook)

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