Dogs Leave Paw Prints on Your Heart

This is Tiny.  I saw her on a website for rescued animals and fell in love. She should not have been alive. She arrived at the rescue centre in an appalling state...hairless with sores, her nails curled under digging into her paws, so skinny and sick she was unable to drink water or eat. The man who brought her in had stolen her from her "home" to give her a chance at life.

She was not a young dog - so she had suffered for years like this. The vet wanted to put her down straight away but Tiny had found her angel in Helena ,who just happened to be there that day. Helena took her home to Ash Elm Rescue Centre in Wicklow, Ireland. She smeared ice cream, and dropped water on to her tongue. She then gave her what she had never experienced before. ...love and cuddles.

Tiny came back from the brink and a few weeks later she looked like she would make it. The picture in the top left hand corner is her after weeks of intensive care. Those loving arms in the photo are Helena's. This is the picture I saw on the website and crumpled completely. Love at first site.

Three months later and Tiny had blossomed into the cutest little dog ever. My husband and sons doted on her and she loved her new life. Here is her after picture 

Just a year later she developed cancer and passed away but her story is not one with a sad ending. She had 15 months of wonderful life that she might never have known at all, and so did we....and she left a big paw print on our hearts.