A very old and very sick Chihuahua was dying. At least, that's what everyone at the shelter thought. Heather, one of the workers there, couldn't stand the thought of the tiny pup dying all alone in a cage. So, she brought the poor thing home with her so the dog could feel loved, if only for a night. But the 24 hours of love gave this dying Chihuahua just the miracle she needed!
Credit: Facebook / Jay-Z the Chi
Heather is the marketing manager at the Asheville Humane Society. So, every day, she walked past the cage of a very sick Chihuahua, now named Jay-Z. Usually the terrified dog would just hide under her bed.
“The staff at the shelter wondered if she was even adoptable because her health was so bad,” Heather said.
But one day, Heather passed by and the poor pup looked her right in the eye. The sight of the senior dog, whose tongue always hangs out of her mouth, was pitiful. And in that moment, Heather knew just what she had to do.
"I said, 'Let me take her home for a night and if we decide she doesn't have a quality of life and we have to let her go, I want her to be at a home. At least she'll feel loved for 24 hours.'"
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Everyone thought the tiny dog would only last one night. But as it turns out, Heather's love gave this dying Chihuahua the second chance she needed!
New Life, New Name
The pup came to the shelter with the name Jersey Girl. But a new lease on life meant a new name, too.
As Heather and her hubbie went through potential names, he jokingly said, "Why don't we call her Jay-Z?"
Right at that moment, the Chihuahua looked up, so the name stuck.
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However, it wasn't just Jay-Z's life saved. Seeing firsthand the difference a loving home makes, Heather and her husband kept right on adopting!
"Jay-Z was the first dog and senior I adopted," Heather said. "After we adopted her, we took four more senior and special needs dogs . And now, Jay-Z has her pack of rescue senior Chihuahuas."
More than four years have passed since Jay-Z's "24 hours of love," and she's still going strong.
The pup has been on a great many adventures, from hiking to camping and even sailing (with a doggie life vest, of course)! All from an old dog not expected to survive the night.
"She has the most incredible will to live of any animal I've ever known," Heather says. "I hope Jay-Z will inspire others to adopt a senior animal and give them a second chance in their golden years."
God certainly gave this fur-angel a very special purpose!
h/t: GodUpdates
This brave Chihuahua saved two lives before giving his own!
