Meet Pumpkin! This sweet little lady was surrendered to a shelter with a request for euthanasia, not because she was ready to die, but because her human’s health was failing and there was nowhere else for her to land.

Fortunately Pumpkin made her way to us, but she arrived carrying the quiet weight of long-neglected illness. Her eyes were infected and diseased, her mouth ravaged by severe dental disease, and her body fighting bacterial cystitis. Layered over everything else, she received a new diagnosis of diabetes - a condition that demands consistency, monitoring, and care. None of this happened overnight. This is what happens slowly, when medical needs outpace resources, and a small senior dog is left to endure more than she ever should.

Despite all of this, Pumpkin is a sweet, tolerant girl who loves snuggles and belly rubs above all else. Well, maybe not above food - she LOVES eating and has a sassy bark she deploys to make sure dinner is served exactly on time and humans dispense the proper amount of treats throughout the day. Even though she's mostly blind, she loves exploring her foster mom's yard and has no problem navigating it.

Pumpkin is approximately 12 years old and 5 lbs.

Fostered in Severn, MD