Woman asks for oldest dog in shelter—her life hasn’t been the same since

After experiencing two important losses just a few months apart, a woman from Miami, Florida, was “saved” by a senior shelter dog who she believes was sent down to her by two angels.

In a post shared on TikTok on Saturday under the username @kristentbrown, the poster explains that she recently went to a local shelter, asking for their oldest resident, and ended up adopting 12-year-old Jackie Lynn.

Kristen Brown, 27, told Newsweek that last year in November, one of her pups died of a brain tumor, which she had been dealing with since August, when she underwent surgery and radiation therapy.

At that time, she and her fiance knew they would adopt again, but they needed time to grieve their late pet. Then tragedy struck again.

“In the new year on January 10th I received a call and my biggest nightmare came to light, my father took his life,” Brown said.

“In heartache and in one of the hardest times in my life I felt it was right and time to go to the shelter and pour my love into a new baby to help us heal and she did, Jackie Lynn was brought to me by my two angels, Luna, and my father.”

According to Brown, Jackie Lynn is a “smart, cute, funny little girl,” who was put in the shelter after her previous owners passed away and the family did not want her.

“She was in the shelter for three months before I adopted her, she was due to be euthanized 2 weeks after I adopted her, people say I saved Jackie but she saved us. She gave us light, laughter again, and love,” she said.

However, the surprises weren’t over for Brown yet. Jackie Lynn had a lump on her leg, she had bronchitis, and a horrible ear infection that had been going on for over a year untreated, causing her ear canal to fully close.

“I knew all these things and still took her because she was deserving and wasn’t going to let a few things like that stop her from being adopted by me.”

Thankfully her ear infection has now cleared, her lump has turned out to be a benign fatty deposit, and her bronchitis has reduced massively after getting her an inhaler. Now she’s living her best life jumping around with her siblings like a puppy.

“Jackie Lynn should show others that senior dogs are just as [good] if not better than getting a puppy or another young dog. They are worth it!”

Finding a lump on a pup is a dog owner’s worst nightmare, but it doesn’t always mean it’s cancer. In an article for Pet MD, Dr. Brittany Kleszynski explains that lumps in dogs can be cysts, warts, tumors, abscesses, or skin tags, or even the result of an allergic reaction or an injection.

Cancerous lumps vary greatly in appearance but usually tend to have a few similar characteristics, including an abnormal shape; rapid growth; ulcerated areas; abnormal color; hair loss; and attachment to an underlying tissue.

Signs that your pup may be unwell include significant weight loss; chronic vomiting or diarrhea; weakness and lethargy, says Knutsford Veterinary Surgery on its website.

The only way to know whether your dog has cancer or is experiencing symptoms of another illness is to have them examined by their veterinarian.

The video went viral on social media and it has so far received over 2.9 million views and 649,300 likes on the platform.

One user, Stephmanso, commented: “This wrecked me entirely, I want nothing more than to adopt all the senior dogs in the world and make sure they are shown the same love.”

Asheeeeeeezie.xo said: “People who adopt senior pets are absolute angels on earth [you’re] an amazing person.”

Karina Romero added: “It’s just the way her personality just started to shine through.”

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