Living in a shelter isn’t easy for a dog and being put in a kennel can be life altering. After all, everything a pooch knew and loved, like the cuddles they once received from their human owners, is gone. But as an older dog, life in a shelter is ten times harder. Just ask Muneca. Her life had become a challenge. But amazing things started to happen when she moved to a shelter.
Muneca was a dachshund breed, and she had a heart that was filled with love. In fact, she totally adored her human owners. Unfortunately, her humans didn’t necessarily feel the same way about her. But little did they realize that their lack of interest would affect Muneca. For some unknown reason, Muneca’s owner got rid of her by putting her up for adoption. But, there was a huge problem with their intended plan.
People are often taught to respect their elders, but the concept doesn’t seem to extend to aging animals. But the truth was that in dog years Muneca was actually pretty old. When her owners got rid of her, she was 18 years old. But her previous owners failed to realize that her age would seriously affect her way of life at the shelter. Still, the owners decided to adopt her, but their reasons for doing so weren’t necessarily justified.
The years had not been kind to Muneca, and her age had led to a variety of illnesses. She wasn’t as active as she used to be either. To that end, she started to rely on her human owners more and more. This meant that she needed attention all the time. But they simply couldn’t give her what she so desperately needed. Then, they got some bad news about Muneca’s outcome.
Muneca’s life had changed dramatically when she started to lose her ability to see. This wasn’t much of a shock since she was very old. But she hadn’t realized that she had so much more to lose. Her owners used her condition as an excuse to put her up for adoption. They figured that this was better than having her euthanized. But they weren’t aware about the shelter’s policy when it came to dogs who were too old.
Muneca was looked after by the team at the shelter who fed her and kept her warm. So, for a time, she lived a sheltered life and she had practically everything she needed to be comfortable. Then, her life changed for the worst. The shelter couldn’t afford to keep elderly dogs, which meant that there was only one possible outcome for Muneca and her older friends. But then, something miraculous occurred.
When Elaine Seamans, a worker at the shelter, bent down and gave Muneca a head scratch, the pooch jumped into her arms and wouldn’t let go. In fact, even as Elaine tried to put her down, Muneca cried as if begging her to stay. This broke Elaine’s heart, but she knew she couldn’t keep the pooch. As an employee at the shelter, she had to be tough and avoid adopting animals. This meant that Muneca’s fate was practically sealed.
Muneca’s days seemed to be numbered, but she enjoyed the cuddle time she received from Elaine. However, Elaina’s heart broke because she knew what Muneca expected from her, but she simply couldn’t adopt her no matter how much she wanted to. Then, Elaine saw a glimmer of hope that very same day when she saw John Hwang. It seemed that Muneca now had a fighting chance.
As she held Muneca in her arms, Elaine noticed John Hwang, a photographer who often visited the shelter. He took shots of the various animals who lived there. These photos would potentially give the dogs the chance to find a forever family. John accomplished this by sharing the photos on his page and hope someone would reach out to him about the animal. So, Elaine decided to ask him to photograph Muneca.
John was skeptical when Elaine approached him. He loved all kinds of pets, but he knew that elderly pooches had a tough time being adopted. But one look at Muneca clinging to Elaine was all he needed to cast all of his doubts aside. So, John snapped a few photos, and then he posted them. Now they just had to wait to see if Muneca would get adopted soon.
The photo series of Muneca didn’t initially receive a lot of responses. At this point, it seemed like there was no hope for the dog. Then, someone saw it. Her name was Kelly Smíšek, and she was the founder, and co-owner of Frosted Faces. Frosted Faces is a non-profit organization that helps find homes for elderly animals. When Kelly saw Muneca on social media, she fell in love with her immediately. So, she reached out to the shelter, but there was an issue.
Muneca needed to get a routine check-up before the shelter could release her. This was a standard rule, but everyone was concerned because of the dog’s age. Muneca was very old, and no one was sure how her check-up would turn out. However, Muneca received a clean bill of health. This meant that she could be released to the custody of Frosted Face. But could the company find her a loving permanent family in time?
Shortly after Muneca left the vet, a team from Frosted Faces picked her up. And within a few weeks, Amy Gann saw Muneca, and knew that they were meant to be a family. Amy had everything she needed to look after Muneca. Now that the dog had finally found her forever home, they could begin their lives together, and they had one person to thank for that. If it hadn’t been for the photographer, they never would have found each other.
John Hwang, Elaine, and social media saved Muneca. This just proves how amazing social media is. All it took was one photo, which was immediately shared by people until it was seen by the right individual. Now, thanks to Muneca’s inspiring story, Frosted Faces is in the spotlight too. More and more people are adopting older dogs. But whatever happened to Muneca?
In her final years, Muneca will get to lead a happy life with someone who loves her. Frosted Faces made sure that Amy was the right doggy parent. After a couple of home checks, they determined that Amy’s home was ideal for Muneca. Besides, it was a perfect match because Amy got a loyal companion while Muneca got her forever home. This proves that a single photo can make a difference when seen by the right people.