SILVER SPRING, Md. (WSVN) — A dog who was just hours away from being put down has found a home with a senior living center.
According to Fox 13, Journey, a hound mix believed to be 6 years old had lived her entire life in a cage. Knine Rescue board member Amy Creel said when her owner passed away, Journey was sent to an overcrowded shelter in Virginia.
Due to her age, Journey was one of the dogs scheduled to be put down.
However, just hours before she was going to be put down, Journey was taken by Knine Rescue in Maryland when a volunteer came to pick up another dog named Spec.
“When the transport was picking him up, I got a call and they said, ‘Is there any way you can take a second dog?’ My first thought was no,” Creel said. “I was actually really reluctant, but something just told me to take her. I can’t explain it.”
Despite knowing nothing about Journey, Creel took her to Maryland, and brought her along for a pre-scheduled event at a senior center.
“We just brought Journey along for the ride because we had nothing else to do with her. She was really shy when she first arrived, not surprisingly,” she said. “When she walked into the senior center, it was like she belonged there. It was the weirdest thing. She just walked in and was instantly comfortable, her tail started wagging, and she was going up to people.”
Creel said the residents at the center all loved having Journey around and showered her with attention.
The center’s executive director then pulled Creel aside and offered to adopt her.
“I think because she’s a little bit older, she’s not going to jump up on any of the seniors. She’s not a trip hazard. She’s very calm, very gentle,” Creel said.
Journey now has a happy home at the center.
“The really amazing part of the story is how close she was to not making this trip. We almost didn’t take her just because we weren’t prepared, and it was so last minute. Everything just fell together to make this happen,” she said. “It felt like it was meant to be.”
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