We received a call in early September asking if we could provide emergency foster care for an elderly dog named Samantha. Her people, Jack and Judy, lived here in Colorado Springs, but were both hospitalized for a variety of health concerns. At that time, it was unclear if either could continue to provide care for Samantha. We agreed and took Samantha into our care on September 10th. That same day, we were told she couldn’t go back to her home, and, sadly, Jack passed away about two weeks later.

The good news was that Jack, before his health declined, had made arrangements for his youngest daughter, Linda, to take Samantha if something happened to him. The bad news? Linda wouldn’t be able to travel out to get Samantha anytime soon due to a sick grandchild and her own dog’s battle with cancer.

After weighing our options and talking to Samantha’s veterinarian, who said Samantha could not be flown anywhere, we opted to drive her out to Linda in Pennsylvania. Thanks to donations from the family and numerous Facebook followers, we were able to finance the trip without dipping into other program funds.

This was still not a decision we took lightly as Samantha is 14 years old, has old dog health issues, and takes multiple medications daily. We were fortunate enough to have her fostered by Rachel, a veterinary technician imminently qualified to care for a older pet. But, how would Samantha do on a 3 day drive?

Well, we found out when we left on October 10th to make the journey to her new home. She handled it like a champ! Armed with Samantha’s favorite homemade dog biscuits, CBD oil prescribed by her veterinarian for stress, slight modifications to the HHF van to ensure Samantha’s comfort, and stopping every two hours for a break and a treat, we pulled into Wayne, PA on October 12th. Linda joyfully greeted us and introduced Samantha to her new “siblings,” Stanley, a gorgeous big Shepherd, and Sunshine, a kitty Linda adopted to keep Stanley company.

Linda periodically sends us updates and photos, and shared with us how having Samantha there has also helped her deal with the loss of her father. We are very grateful to be kept in the loop, by Linda and all of the clients we’ve helped over the years. We consider the pets and people we work with to be part of the HHF family and enjoy hearing about how they are doing.