A “misunderstood” senior chihuahua who didn’t know how to trust humans has been given a second chance at life following his adoption. Ever since she got two dogs in her sophomore year of college, Kelly Sites of Kansas City, Missouri, has had a soft spot for senior animals. When they both passed away, she told Newsweek that it became her mission to adopt senior dogs “in their honor” because she saw how appreciative they were of comfort and love during their twilight years. In 2023, Sites, 39, went to visit Lil Paws, Big Hearts Chihuahua Rescue in Columbia, Missouri and instantly made a new friend. Charley the chihuahua, who was 13 years old at the time, ran straight up to Sites, jumped into her lap and started licking her face. Charley made quite the first impression, and the animal rescuers were stunned because he wasn’t usually that friendly. “The rescue owners were very concerned much to the delight of internet users. A post showing how far the 15-year-old dog has come in the last few years has melted plenty of hearts online, leading to more than 28, 800 views and over 6, 200 likes on TikTok at the time of writing. The online reaction to Charley’s story is beyond anything Sites expected, and she hopes it may even inspire others to give a senior dog a second chance. “I have no idea what Charley’s life was like before me, but I’m determined to give him the best possible second part of his life. I think there’s a lot of fear around it, and I’m hoping to show how much of a beautiful thing it can be,” Sites said. With over 400 comments on the TikTok post, many people thanked Sites for saving Charley and for giving him the love he deserves. One comment reads: “An angel met another angel. Thank you.” Another TikTok user wrote: “He looks like he’s getting younger! Thank you for loving him.” While another person replied: “This happy boy is aging in reverse.”.
https://www.newsweek.com/rescue-chihuahua-has-severe-anger-issues-in-shelter-then-it-all-changes-11057087
