10/15/25 Clifton was a sweet senior gent, who wound up in a shelter. He was confiscated to get there. While there, he never left the kennel and just sat there. No one helped him with his pain or gave him love. The minute I saw him, I had to get him out. Luckily one of our fabulous adopters in California helped us out and Cliff was free. He was able to shack up with them a few days until transport could be sorted out.
When I first saw Cliff, my heart melted. I thought this poor guy. What life did he have? He had a massive lump coming out of his side. He struggled to walk. He struggled to breathe. Who could let him get like this?
I had high hopes that we could take that mass off and give him a better quality of life. I loved him already, so he could recover with me as long as it took. Unfortunately, the news was devastating. The mass was cancer and it could not be removed. He was actually full of cancer. He started dropping when they took bloodwork and he had a bad heart. As soon as that information sunk in, I knew I just had to give him the best I could for as long as I could. I wanted Cliff to know love and feel it.
In spite of all his pain and struggles, he was happy. Cliff wore a smile, liked to be in the thick of it, loved the puppies. He would take his time but walk to be with everyone else. He would always come find me. I was happy to carry him when he got tired. I was tickled to give him things he liked. First rotisserie chicken, then plain chicken, then bacon, and then cheeseburgers. Even though Cliff looked larger, he was quite thin. The mass was making it deceiving. He would give kisses all the time.
Unfortunately Cliff started to wrestle with walking and he stopped eating. It seemed it was getting more difficult for him to breathe. I made the decision to let him cross over. I stayed by his side embracing him, while he drifted off. You may think this was one sided but it wasn’t. Cliff gave me so much love, my heart was full. If you know me enough, you know I absolutely adore seniors and hold so much endearment for hospice dogs. I feel they give me more than I deserve. It was somber to know we could not give him more time. I do believe in quality over quantity though and I hope I gave Cliff enough. He did improve to start with his walking and pain management but his body could not keep up with the cancer eating him alive. I will miss Cliff. I consider myself blessed to have been a small part of his life. I hope my very short time with him (under a month) made up for the misfortunate life he had. Until I see your smiling face again, rest in peace good boy. I love you Clifton
