One Couple's Mission to Save Aging Canines: Susie's Senior Dogs Will Warm Your Heart

BY | March 12 | COMMENTS PUBLISHED BY
Susie, 13, above, from "Susie's Senior Dogs." Credit: Brandon Stanton
Susie, 13, above, from Susie's Senior Dogs. Credit: Brandon Stanton

Meet Susie, the face that launched a viral campaign to save adoptable senior dogs from animal shelters around the country.

RELATED STORY:ย Senior Dogs Get Their 15 Minutes Thanks to One Photographer's Passion

This lucky pup was discovered by Brandon Stanton, the photographer behind the hugely popular blog and book,

Humans of New York

, or HONY, which documents "interesting" people on the streets of New York City. Stanton snapped a photo of Susie while on the job, and posted it to HONY's Facebook page.

Susie. Photo via Facebook

Susie. Photo via Facebook

โ€œI had never seen a dog that was that interesting,โ€ Stanton toldย 

ABC

. โ€œI called her the greatest dog in New York.โ€

ย A week later, Stanton was approached by Susie's owner, asking him to adopt the aging Chihuahua. Despite Susie's age of 13, Stanton agreed, and the two have been inseparable ever since.

โ€œSheโ€™s old, and sheโ€™s attached,โ€ Stanton said. โ€œShe wants to be with me everywhere.โ€

RELATED STORY:ย Need Senior Dog Health Tips? Sign Up for The Senior Dog eSeries Today!ย Inspired by Susie's story, Erin O'Sullivan, Stanton's girlfriend, decided to start a Facebook page dedicated to finding homes for adoptable senior dogs. She called it Susie's Senior Dogs. Stanton promoted O'Sullivan's page on HONY, and the mission went viral, amassing over 100,000 Facebook fans. In just 2 days, Susie's Senior Dogs helped find a home for its first rescue, 13-year-old Nina.ย 
Nina, 13, with her owners Jesse Simon, right, and Moira Foehr, left. Credit: Jesse Simon and Moira Foehr
Nina, 13, with her owners Jesse Simon, right, and Moira Foehr, left. Credit: Jesse Simon and Moira Foehr

The page works by simply sharing stories and contact information for senior dogs that are up for adoption from various shelters around the country. Potential pet parents reach out to those shelters, and the bond is created!Since its launch 2 months ago, Susie's senior dogs has helped place 20 senior dogs in their forever home, and O'Sullivan has no plans to stop anytime soon!

Do you know a senior dog rescue story? Share it in the comments below!

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