A senior dog finds a new home in Wisconsin

August 27, 2024

The snowy pavement and slippery roads weren’t too burdensome for Dan and Crystal Godhardt, even as they encountered torrential flurries on their two-hour drive to Oshkosh, Wis. last weekend.

On their drive from their one-acre ranch in Burlington, they were making their way toward a soon-to-be friend, housemate and 17-year-old of their own. At the end of the trek was Teddy Brown, a tiny senior dog who had been surrendered to the Oshkosh Area Humane Society shelter on New Year’s Eve, after his owner died.

The senior dog came to the shelter with a heap of medical issues and ailments, including a hearing impairment and poor vision. He was also discovered to have a heart murmur and a mass in his chest after staff started running medical examinations on him. Although the shelter’s staff said the conditions don’t affect his quality of life, the Oshkosh-based organization started off its promotional Facebook post on Teddy by being candid; he’s 14 pounds, has very few teeth left and is nearing the final chapters of his life. But they tied the post with a bow of who Teddy is, including his love for snuggles, going on walks and hopping like a bunny to investigate his surroundings.

“Teddy isn’t telling us he’s done here quite yet,” the shelter wrote in a Jan. 9 Facebook post. “We aren’t looking for medical heroics from anyone. Nothing can be done to make Teddy younger, or reverse any of his medical issues. But we wanted to see if there is a special person or family who wants to give Teddy an awesome curtain call, whether it be days, weeks, months.”

And when Teddy, who greeted the couple by sniffing them inside one of the shelter’s visitation rooms, finally met his new owners, their two-hour drive and week-long wait to adopt him was a thing of the past. Although he was shaking and whimpering on the drive home to the Godhardts’ farm, he eventually calmed down on Crystal’s lap, where he took a nap during the last 40 minutes of the trip.

“He’s just so darn cute,” Dan said in a phone interview with The Washington Post. “It was all worth it once we got there.”

The Oshkosh Area Humane Society took Teddy in after the canine was discovered in his previous owner’s home after a neighbor called authorities to do a wellness check, according to Jennifer Ollanketo, the dog team manager at OAHS. Teddy was brought in that same day, Dec. 31. Per Wisconsin law, any impounded animal must be held at the shelter for a week to allow for owners and/or family members to reclaim the animal.

The shelter administered medical exams and put him up for adoption. Ollanketo said the market for senior dogs is much smaller than it is for younger animals, because there’s not a guarantee of how much time they have left and because prospective owners might not have the means to commit to medical care.

Still, the shelter’s Facebook post for Teddy garnered more than a thousand likes, shares and hundreds of comments. They got dozens of calls and inquiries from interested takers and eventually received six applications. The Godhardts were the first to send in their application. They’ve adopted two senior dogs before that have since passed and wanted to give him a chance to live out the rest of his life in a spacious, comfortable and loving home. They picked up him and took him home on Sunday afternoon, where some areas of Wisconsin had reached 9 to 12 inches of snow from the weekend’s storm.

“This frigid weather isn’t helpful, but we know that will pass,” Crystal commented under the shelter’s original Facebook post once they adopted him. “Teddy is a huge chowhound and loves his belly, bum and ears rubbed. Each day will be a new discovery, some better than others. We just want Teddy to be without pain, to feel secure, comfortable and know he is loved.”

Ollanketo added that while Teddy is 17, he has the spark of energy and spirit of dogs younger than him. Once he arrived at OAHS, he was friendly with staff, would eat food “all day” and was active.

“He still does that have zest of life in him,” she said.

But he also has his quirks. Being hearing and sight impaired, Teddy occasionally bumps into walls and surfaces, especially if his surroundings are tight and narrow and he can’t detect them through his peripherals. Dan has taken note of this as Teddy walks around the house, where he will sometimes bump his head at the end of a hallway that he was cautiously trying to make his way through. Dan looks at Teddy in astonishment, however, because he uses his head and ears to determine the safest exits from the bump in the road.

Teddy’s adoption, Ollanketo said, speaks to the importance of treating animals as individuals, no matter their age or medical conditions. Some may have looked at these conditions and decided other alternatives, such as putting him under the care of a foster parent or euthanasia. But in Teddy’s case, staff noticed that spark within him, evidenced by his periodic “zooms” across the shelter, friendly nature and love for treats.

“We knew there were special people out there willing to take a senior animal and give them a wonderful final chapter, no matter if it’s days, weeks or months,” she said.

And that’s exactly what Teddy is up to at the Godhardts’ home in Burlington. He spends his days exploring their home, messing around with their 1-year cat, Piper, and lounging around in the Green Bay Packers vest his owners bought for him. The couple have discussed adding a ramp to their porch so Teddy can roam the outdoors without too much strain on his hip and adding a bed next to theirs, since it’s a steep incline for him to navigate.

Once the weather clears up, Dan plans to bring him around his part-time job at Home Depot to roam, indulge in treats and live out his best life.

“We just want to give him as much love and care as we can, for however long he has left,” he said.

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