Millions of dogs are abandoned or surrendered to shelters every year. As a result, the animal shelters and rescue organizations are overcrowded with canines who are in search of their forever home.
While younger dogs keep dreaming about getting their happy ending, most senior shelter residents give up hope of ever finding a loving family.
Due to low adoption rates and a lack of necessary resources, older and less desirable dogs end up on the shelter’s euthanasia lists. This is what happened to Wilbur, a 12-year-old German Shepherd.
Little did he know that his bad luck was about to change.
Saving A Life
While scrolling on Instagram, during one of her sleepless nights, Trish came across a reel posted by a Southern California-based rescue, FurryTail Endings. It was about a dog named Wilbur… a 12-year old German Shepherd who was going to be euthanized unless someone adopted him.
In his eyes, she recognized something very familiar.
“He had these eyes that were so defeated. He was so sure that life had given up on him and he had given up on it right back. And, I identified so much with those eyes because I felt like I knew my eyes looked the same,” she said.
Trish shared that after giving birth to a stillborn baby in February 2022, she and her family had gone through a terrible period of their lives.
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After watching the reel, she was deeply moved by his situation, and she knew she had to do something for him.
Apart from being a photographer, she is also a foster care worker, and she has fostered many kittens. Although she never fostered dogs before due to a past trauma, at that moment, she was compelled to try it in order to save a life.
There were many people who commented on the post, saying that they would adopt Wilbur and pick him up in the morning. Listening to her inner voice telling her to do something, Trish commented, too, offering to foster him for a day if all other offers fell through.
The next morning, she received a message saying that nobody came for the dog and that he was going to be euthanized in 30 minutes.
The First Encounter With Wilbur
She immediately jumped to her feet, woke her daughter, Lily, up, and they both drove to the City Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley, Western Riverside County, to pick him up. When Wilbur saw them, he tenderly put his head in Lily’s hands and licked her.
Although Lily loves dogs, she has always been scared of them.
“But, with him, it’s just like a whole ‘nother world. It’s like he’s from another dimension. He’s old, but he has such a great and big heart.”
That day, Trish and Lily saved Wilbur and five other puppies from being put down. After staying with the Bauers, Wilber moved to another foster family with three other dogs.
A couple of days later, Trish found out that one of the family’s dogs was too aggressive to Wilbur. The Bauers decided to take him in and they renamed him Cooper.
“We knew that we could not let this dog be put down because nobody loved him,” Trish said.
Another Fight For Life
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the end of Cooper’s fight for life. During his checkup, a vet found a cancerous tumor on his neck, but Cooper’s family didn’t let that discourage them.
It was at this moment that they realized this dog was meant for them because if they knew anything, it was how to fight cancer.
Their daughter, Lily, is a cancer-survivor. She was born with a rare form of bone cancer – Ewing sarcoma. Before she turned one, she became cancer-free.
Less than three weeks later, Cooper was healthy enough to have the necessary surgery, and his family was relieved when they found out it had been successful. The first thing Cooper did after the procedure was come to his family who was waiting for him in the hall.
Finding Happiness
A month later, they got a call from the vet telling them that Cooper was cancer-free. The Bauers were over the moon, and they officially adopted Cooper on February 11.
The Bauer family credits Cooper for saving them and helping them rediscover the joy of life at the most difficult period of their lives.
“He was truly meant for us and I know that we saved him – but the honest truth is he truly did save us. This dog has completely changed our lives… completely. We owe him so much. We really do,” Trish said.
This wonderful family has more good news to share. Trish is five months pregnant and expecting a baby boy. Cooper takes care of the fostered kittens while Trish rests.
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