Nobody knows how Toodles the Poodle spent the first 8 years of his life. He was found dirty and alone wandering outside of an Atlanta gas station and taken into the care of Dekalb County Animal Services.
Regardless of his past, Toodles has now found a bright and happy new future as the community canine resident for Sunrise at Buckhead, a local senior living facility.
Karen Hirsch, the Public Relations Director for LifeLine Animal Project – the organization that manages the Dekalb county shelter – was looking into different facilities for her father when she heard that Sunrise at Buckhead was searching for a community dog.
The wonderful senior living community permits their residents to keep pets as long as they are able to care for them, but for those residents who cannot, it can get lonely. Hirsch and everyone at the shelter thought that Toodles would be a perfect fit and decided to bring him to Sunrise at Buckhead for a visit.
The residents and staff instantly fell for the dapper, intelligent and extremely affectionate Poodle. It was a match! Toodles now spends his days strolling from room to room visiting the residents, entertaining the staff at the front desk, and greeting the visitors in the lobby.
He has one special friend named Stacey whom he sleeps with every night. When she emerges from the elevator in her wheelchair, Toodles will immediately drop what he is doing and leap into her lap. Despite his affection for Stacey, all the residents take turns walking, feeding and holding him – it is quite a change from life on the city streets!
Toodles’ story just goes to show how rewarding adopting a senior pet can be, especially for senior humans. Toodles is calm, gentle, housebroken and doesn’t require much exercise so he is easy to care for. In return for the affection the residents show to him, Toodles gives it back tenfold with unconditional love and doggy kisses.
For more incredible stories like Toodles’ and to see all the loving senior pets available for adoption at the Dekalb County shelter, visit their website and follow them on Facebook.
All Images c/o Kaitlyn Garrett, Photographer and Social Media Specialist at Dekalb County Animal Services
