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Mugzy’s story is a perfect example of how a little kindness can change a life for the better. That’s what we mean when we say a dog lived “happily ever after”.
In the summer of 2017, Kelly Duer was participating in a foster care study sponsored by Maddie’s Fund. As part of her studies, she took a dog out of her kennel for a nice day away from the shelter and a night at the hotel. Mugzy was one of those dogs.
Mugzy had lived at the shelter longer than any other animal services dog in Ventura County. Life hadn’t been easy for him, and Kelly thought if anyone deserved a day, it was Mugzy.
He had grossly cropped ears and vestibular disease, which caused mobility issues, but he soaked up the affection like a sponge and especially loved the belly rubs! Kelly happily snapped a few pictures of Mugzy while they were away, showed him some love, but sadly their day came to an end and she had to take him back to her kennel to continue her search.
She posted the photos from their big day to IMGUR, where we spotted the thread and read its story. We at iHeartDogs were all so impressed with his big happy smile as he stood outside the door of the pet store that we contacted Kelly and asked him to share the photos. She sent more and told us the story of this beautiful pittie.
Kelly’s day with Mugzy had been her first time away from the shelter in over 500 days. He loved visiting the pet store, snuggling up on the couch in the hotel room, but most of all, he loved the affection he received from the people he met that day.
Mugzy also charmed our readers. Her post was shared more than 1,000 times on Facebook – and reached Orinda Beiers with the Hearthfire Animal Rescue Team in West Richland, Washington.
“Mugsy called Orinda from a shelter near Los Angeles. We don’t know why we had to spend four days on the road to pick up a scruffy old pit bull. It’s not like there’s a shortage of bullies or old dogs here. But he had been waiting for almost two long years, and it was… necessary.
HART arranged to pick him up, and they immediately drove to Southern California to bring him home. They were determined that Mugsy would never spend a night in a shelter kennel again. He became a final shelter dog with HART, and his adoptive mother fell in love with him and decided to give him a home for the rest of his life.
Mugsy was a member of the HART family and, through frequent Facebook posts and photos, kept his fans up to date on how he was doing. He received all the medical care he needed through their final shelter program. Kelly also followed her story and made a donation to help with some expenses.
Mugsy thrived with HART and fell in love with his new home and family. For two years he lived the good life, with lots of friends, his own place on the couch, an adopted sister and lots and lots of love. We were so sorry to hear that yesterday, December 2, 2019, HART said goodbye to Mugsy.
In Mugsy’s beautiful memory, they shared some of their favorite moments on Facebook:
“Mugsy didn’t have too many teeth, but he could knock any zucchini to the ground.
Summer has always been his favorite time of year…except during fall, winter and spring…because ANY time spent on the grass or a comfy cushion or a voluntary ride or in the backseat of the car, head hanging out the window and jowls flapping in the breeze – basically, anywhere outside the shelter – is a BIG time for an old dog!
“Sometimes when life was too good and he forgot it was serious business, he had to be tortured. Like the time his people had him dressed as a turkey. Look, Mugsy had an all too clear idea of himself – he knew his worth. But seriously… a TURKEY? Poor dog!
“Notice, he never felt sorry for himself. Fiercely loyal, he took his job of protecting his people seriously. There wasn’t a treat or a bowl of food that he didn’t swallow with energetic enthusiasm. From the moment he left the shelter, he embraced life with enthusiasm and lived every moment he had!
“The days were spent indoors, he was allowed on the couch with the special dog blanket on it. He was not allowed on the “clean sofa”. His mom would pile various things on the couch to help him remember…and as far as Mugsy was concerned, it made time on the couch more interesting.
“The thing about this guy is he loved making his humans happy. He really wanted them to be happy. But he never really bought into the idea that doing as he was told was the way to achieve that goal. For Mugsy, the orders were just suggestions. Sometimes he took them… and sometimes not. His mom got around this problem by keeping him in a harness most of the time. It was quite comfortable for him, and that meant she had a handful when she needed to grab onto it and disturb him.
“Mugsy LOVED his daily walks. He never got far – his arthritis was bad and over time it got worse, so much so that even the drugs weren’t really helping. Going to his special poo spot a little further down the road became difficult. So… he got a tank. Sometimes he didn’t need it, and that was fine – Mom or Grandma Orinda prevailed anyway. But usually at some point it would berelieved to get on board and let the humans walk.
“We’ve known for a while that he was preparing for his final trip across the Rainbow Bridge. He was ready…but really, the people who loved him weren’t. His mom, Grandma Orinda — all of her people — wanted so badly to give him a few more days, then a few more days, to sniff, swallow treats, and snuggle up in blissful comfort. But it was getting too hard for him.
“Today, when the vet came to visit, he was happy to see her. For a short while, greeting her, he looked like himself. But he really wasn’t. Her battered old body was tired and it was time to let him go.
“He crossed the bridge with his tail held high and his jowls flapping in the breeze. We miss you, sweet boy.
It took a lot of people to give Mugsy his happily ever after. We are grateful to Ventura County Animal Services, Kelly Duer, Orinda Beiers and HART, Mugsy’s family and each of our readers who shared her story.
Featured photo: Kelly Duer & @HearthfireAnimalRescueTeam/Facebook
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