Author: Lea

Abandoned in the cold on the streets of Staten Island, this precious senior soul had no hope of survival. Who knows how long he was out there before being found? Then he went to the shelter where he waited and waited for his family, but no one ever came.

Hershey is now safe here at Paws Give Me Purpose Sanctuary and we are picking up the broken pieces of his heart. Our promise is to make him whole again!

Just like the great American chocolate bar, little Hershey is as sweet as can be, and he most certainly did not deserve to be tossed out to fend for himself. Have we as humans lost our ability to care? This tiny boy just looks up at us and our hearts melt; we find it difficult to understand how anyone could have neglected him so badly and then decide to throw him away. 

Hershey has been seen by our Veterinary team and is receiving the urgent medical care he needs/deserves. We have begun administering the necessary medications and have discussed quality of life as well as a hospice plan if deemed necessary. 

Hershey has limited vision, is missing most of his teeth, has luxating patellas, is extremely anemic, has severe muscle wasting in his hind limbs, as well as ataxia and IVDD which cause him to have difficulty walking without falling over. He is also incontinent; which is nothing a pair of fashionable doggie pants can’t handle.

We will be looking into getting Hershey a tiny set of wheels so he can get around more comfortably himself especially when the dogs spend time outside in the yard. 

Although Hershey presents with many medical issues, none of them really inhibit his ability to enjoy life and live out his golden years to the fullest. Above all else, we at Paws Give Me Purpose put quality of life first, and Hershey most certainly has shown us his desire for life, for love and this second chance. Our promise to him is to provide a safe and loving environment for the rest of his life.

If anyone ever doubts us, know that this is what we do at Paws Give Me Purpose.

To donate toward Hershey’s care, please head to:

▪️https://www.pawsgivemepurpose.com/donate/

▪️Venmo: @PAWSGIVEMEPURPOSE-INC

▪️PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=RKUHNPAA3ND3C

By Mail:
Paws Give Me Purpose Inc.
2 Jade Lane 
Cherry Hill, NJ 08002

Directly toward our Vet bills:
House Paws Mobile Veterinary Service 
(856) 234-5230

We kept our promise to Gigi; we loved her, spoiled her, and kept her comfortable until it was time for the Angels to come and take her home. She passed peacefully, on her own terms during an afternoon nap in her favorite bed here at the Sanctuary – and our hearts are shattered yet again. 

Although we as humans want to hang on to life forever, here at Paws Give Me Purpose, we believe dogs actually know there is something else after death. We have witnessed many different kinds of passings and it never gets easier. But, we have noticed that dogs seem to accept death peacefully; they accept it with grace, dignity and in some cases filled with joy. 

Gigi was an ancient Toy Poodle who arrived at our Sanctuary back in April of 2022. Sadly, she was another beautiful senior soul who was extremely neglected, had a badly injured leg, and then was tossed out onto the streets by those she thought would love her forever. 

She was a walking skeleton, completely blind in one eye, and could only see shadows with the other. She had a gash on her right knee, mammary tumors, and suffered with hip dysplasia. She only had full use of 3 out of her 4 legs; one of her rear legs just dangled on occasion – it was an old injury that never received medical attention therefore it healed badly but with some physical therapy and laser treatments we were able to help restore some mobility.

Yet despite having been abandoned in her senior years, with all these medical issues, she was a very sweet bubbly girl who hopped around seeking out love and affection from every human she met.

She most definitely lived every day in the moment, unencumbered by the knowledge of her own mortality. She lived every day to the fullest, we could tell she felt safe, and felt the power of our love – that’s what we believe kept her going. 

Betty White said it best, “I may be a senior, but so what? I’m still hot” – that was our little Gigi’s motto. A ton of spunk and a big flirt with all the boys here in our senior center, and she didn’t even care if they liked her back or not. In general, Gigi was not a fan of other dogs but when it came to the boys, she wanted who she wanted. 

Gigi preferred human companionship more so than having dog friends and hated sharing her space, humans and attention with other dogs. If she was on a lap, getting attention, having her hair brushed etc; she did not want to share that human, or that moment, with any other dogs and boy would she let them know her opinions. She was very outspoken and extremely protective of her space and humans, and although she would tolerate other dogs being around she wasn’t really a fan of close encounters.

She claimed the giant round bed here in our senior center for herself and would give other dogs a very difficult time if they tried to lay down on it too. It was her spot and everyone knew it. We worked hard at teaching her to share, but she was who she was and that was not going to change – at her age, we never expected it to, so it all came down to proper management of each situation that arose. 

We never really knew anything about Gigi’s prior life and only had glimpses based on her behavior. Despite this, we gave Gigi her best life daily, unconditionally and just like every dog that walks through our Sanctuary doors, our goal is to provide respect and dignity no matter their age, appearance or health status; and we did just that. 

We would like to acknowledge Gigi’s generous Sanctuary sponsors Debbie and Brian for assisting us with her care and helping give us the ability to provide her with everything she ever needed and then some. On behalf of little Gigi, we thank you from the bottom of her little heart and ours.

Every dog that walks through our door is special and Gigi’s memory will always be a big part of our Sanctuary. Thank you Gigi for allowing us to love and spoil you. You will always live on in our hearts; we were blessed to have known you!