Senior dog regains pep in her step

There’s more to life when you’re doing it with a friend by your side. Take pearl-wearing pup Betty and her person, Jenna Struckhoff. The pair has been going on lots of car trips, including to the vineyards north of Los Angeles, where they saw the sights and rode a tractor. Jenna plans to take Betty to see the snow this winter and to the beach next summer, their bucket list always growing.

Even though Betty is 13 years old, she has no trouble staying up late when there’s fun to be had — like for Jenna’s recent birthday celebration that went well into the night. (There’s no early bedtime for a dog who’s big on living it up.) On more routine days, while Jenna gardens, Betty discovers and rediscovers the world in the backyard. Her enthusiasm for smelling everything and her excitement in general make it hard to believe she’s a senior dog.

But Betty’s life hasn’t always been this happy and full of adventure.

Betty (named after the late actress and animal lover Betty White) came to the Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in Los Angeles from a shelter partner. The corgi mix had a worrisome problem: There were masses all over her body. She would need to have surgery to figure out exactly what was going on.

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Jess Patino, Best Friends lifesaving outcomes coordinator, knew that Betty would have an easier time recovering in a foster home. Best Friends’ goal is for all shelters nationwide to reach no-kill in 2025, and people who step up to foster pets, either with Best Friends or any animal shelter or rescue organization, play a vital part in reaching that goal.

A longtime Best Friends foster volunteer, Jenna had seen dozens of cats and kittens go from her home on to happy adoptions. This year, she’d decided to start fostering dogs. That had been going well, too, and Jenna loved helping find cats and dogs their adoptive homes. Making a tangible difference for them made a difference for her; the days were more meaningful when she was involved in this lifesaving cause. In between foster assignments, she looked at the pets available for fostering to see whom she could help next. She was immediately drawn to Betty’s picture.

Two days before surgery to remove the masses on Betty’s body, Jenna came to meet her and was completely taken by this sweet older lady. The next day, Jenna returned with one of her dogs so that the two canines could make acquaintance. (She knew that it was going to be a long recovery for Betty, and she wanted Betty to start to get to know the dogs she’d be staying with.)

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The day after surgery, Betty went home with Jenna, who was prepared to care for her even if things took a turn for the worse. Scans of the masses revealed that Betty had a slow-growing cancer. However, the medical team believed it was possible that she could still live a full life, growing old with the cancer. This was encouraging.

About a month later, Jess invited Jenna to bring Betty in for a photo shoot, so the team at Best Friends would have pictures of her to show potential adopters. By then, Betty was recovering well from surgery. She was going for short walks, and her energetic personality was beginning to peek through. And by then, Jenna was in love with her. She told Jess that she wanted to keep Betty for good.

Adopting Betty was an easy decision. Jenna had two dogs at home, a Great Pyrenees mix and a senior Chihuahua. Betty got along great with both. Sweet and mild-mannered, Betty also reminded Jenna of her beloved Lilly, whom she’d had for about 15 years until she passed away a year and a half ago.

Seeing Betty thrive continues to be a joy and proof that senior pets, even those with a cancer diagnosis, can sport pearls and be the life of the party. Bring on the bucket list.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.