Friday saw the arrival of Lachie.
A 12-year-old Pomeranian X.

This sweet, gentle senior man is lost. His eyes are searching for something… kindness? Love?
We believe he may never have truly known either.

Lachie came to us as part of a large seizure from a hoarding situation. The environment was squalid. Small, dirty pens. Little human interaction — and what interaction there was, was often rough. Yelling. Sticks banged on the ground to silence them. No walks. No exposure to the outside world. Just existence.

Despite everything, Lachie appears in relatively good health for a senior — but he carries the signs of neglect.

• He was desexed at the shelter
• A lump removed, thankfully just a cyst
• A dental is on the cards
• We suspect some osteoarthritis in his back legs
• An old healed hole in his ear
• Significant underbite, broken and worn incisors
• He arrived at the shelter with fleas, a dirty coat, sparse fur
• A pea-sized lump on his shoulder

He was quarantined as a precaution due to ringworm on the property — he has tested negative throughout.

But what breaks us isn’t the medical list.

It’s his spirit.

Lachie seems sad. Withdrawn. Unsure. He watches quietly. He doesn’t ask for anything.

Today he went backwards. Not engaging. Not moving unless carried outside to toilet. He has eaten. He follows with his eyes. But he feels… lost.

And then tonight, something shifted.

He finally curled up on foster dad Bill’s lap.
Small. Still. Pressed in close.

Possibly the only time in his 12 years that Lachie has truly felt safe.

We don’t know what tomorrow brings. We’re just giving him time. Gentle voices. Soft bedding. Patience.

The yelling is gone.
The sticks are gone.
The fear is gone.

Now he just needs to learn that love has finally arrived. Welcome to Sweet Paws, Lachie.
The hard days are behind you now 💛