Written by Shireen Williams of Fallen Angels Pet Rescue
Professional photography by elysian
Thirteen-year-old Snuggles was the first-ever rescue dog of Fallen Angels Pet Rescue. On the 13th of February 2014, Snuggles was surrendered to us – he was old and they wanted us to euthanise him. We said absolutely not…
He literally slept for three whole days after we took him, and then he rebounded into this fluffy and feisty little blighter!
Snuggles stayed with us for two years before he caught the eye of Lizette Venter and was adopted on the 4th of May 2016. We were over the moon at his adoption and couldn’t have wished for a better home for this special old boy.
Lizette Venter, Snuggles’ new owner, shares…
Our journey with Snuggles started in April 2016. Fallen Angels posted an “adopt an oldie” post for Snuggles that popped up on my Facebook newsfeed. We had three dogs already at that stage, Brandy (14 years old in 2016), Woefen (about 10 years old), and Nienie (about eight years old). But my two boys and I decided that we had enough space and love for one more doggie.
Through a friend who at that stage was a home-checker, we started the adoption process. And Snuggles became one of our family before Mother’s Day that year.
The boys and I drove out to the farm on a Friday afternoon, and as Craig of Fallen Angels walked towards us with Snuggles, we realised that this is a doggie with a big personality.
Snuggles made himself comfortable from the moment he was loaded onto the back seat of our car, and he stole Kyle’s heart – Kyle became “his Human”.
At home, Snuggles fitted in immediately, albeit with a huge dislike for Woefen. Nienie ignored him and Brandy enjoyed the company. Luckily for us, Woefen, whom we lost in early February 2022, was a lover not a fighter, so he tolerated Snuggles’ rants with a spring in his step. Snuggles barked at Woefen until the day he left us and went to heaven.
During the Covid-19 lockdown, Snuggles became somewhat of a fixture in all my online meetings; he would bark at the different voices and go crazy when Woefen entered the room.
Snuggles adapted to our routine quite quickly, especially snack times. He still reminds me when it’s snack time. I used to feed them at 18h00 in the evening, but that has now moved to 16h00-ish as I’m working at home and Snuggles became more and more demanding.
He’s much less mobile now as his hind legs aren’t working so well anymore, so he’ll demand a bit of assistance by hitting his front feet on his mattress or the wooden floor and sighing. He’s still vocal and playful and loves playing with Kyle whenever he gets the opportunity. He sleeps with Kyle in his bed and sometimes wakes him up for a bit of a “fight”. He once bit through Kyle’s cellphone screen as he wasn’t paying him enough attention.
Learning about Snuggles’ history, I now realise what a great job Fallen Angels did in socialising him. He not only loves his cuddle time, he demands cuddle time! Snuggles is a much-loved part of our family and had a great time on his birthday with dog-friendly snacks for him and a lot of friends popping in to say, “Happy Birthday, Big Boy”.
What I’ve learned from adopting a senior dog is that it’s a lot of love and equal amounts of attitude all wrapped up in a fluffy package. I know for sure there will be other senior adoptees in our home. If you have a bit of love to share and want a lot of love to come your way, adopt an oldie.
