Loco, an elderly dog, has been living in an animal shelter in South Carolina, USA, for two years. Her owners brought her in because they couldn’t take care of her anymore. She was 13 years old at the time. Shelter staff discovered the dog had some health problems and parasites, which apparently the owners didn’t want to treat. But Loko ended up in good hands.

“When she arrived she was 13, heartworm positive, thyroid issues and issues with her hips, so she was not a great candidate for adoption because she came with so many issues and her care would be expensive for most people,” Angel Cox, chief operating officer at Spartanburg Humane Society

The shelter began to actively care for her and treat her. But it was love and care that had the greatest impact on the dog. Thanks to this she was very quickly cured. She still needs vaccinations from time to time, but she is doing very well for her age. After her recovery, they started looking for owners for Loco but unfortunately, no one wanted to take the elderly dog.

“She was wearing a birthday hat and frilly collar, and the entire staff gathered and sang to her,” Angel Cox told The Dodo. ”She had a sweet potato cake [and] she loved it! The company that made the cake brought her a Happy Birthday banner for her office door.”
Recently, the staff decided to celebrate this beauty’s birthday, and throw in a surprise so she wouldn’t be sad. All the employees got together, sang a song for Loco, and put on her birthday hat. Of course, not without cake! At first, Loko was a little shocked by the attention and modestly looked around at everyone but she was happy and wagged her tail endlessly.

“She is picky about her people,” Cox said. “When she loves you, she really loves you. But the people she does not like, she hates them. And she does not like other dogs at all.”
Over the past two years, the entire staff grew to love Loko dearly, and she responded in kind. The party was a success, the cake was eaten, and the birthday girl was happy and probably won’t forget what her favorite staff made for her. After the party, the staff decided to keep Loko in the office and now she is the first one to greet all the people who come to the shelter. Perhaps she, too, will soon find the best possible home. Be happy, Loco!