Tears As Senior Dog Battling Illness Lets Her Human Know 'It's Time'

A hospice foster carer has shared heartbreaking footage of the moment a beloved terminally ill dog let her know it was time.

For the past five years, Stacey Herrick has run Happy Tails Rescue Retirement Home, a nonprofit senior dog rescue and hospice in Pennsylvania. Herrick's love of dogs dates back to 2001 when she was first diagnosed with chronic pain disease and decided she needed a canine for company.

"I went to a pet store adoption day and met a tiny little tan and white puppy who crawled up into my lap, crossed her paws and went to sleep. Her name was Emma," she told Newsweek. "I was so grateful for all Emma brought into my life so I went to and volunteered for the shelter I adopted her from."

As the years rolled by and Emma and the other dogs Herrick adopted began to get older, she realized there were few services that catered exclusively to senior dogs. "Our rescue focused more on younger dogs because it seemed they were what most people wanted to adopt but it always made me so sad to see those older dogs sitting in those cages in a loud environment so confused, or ill," she said.

That was what inspired her to create the Happy Tails Rescue Retirement Home and what led to her meeting Daisy, who came into her care in 2020 in the most heartbreaking circumstances imaginable. "Her mom had passed away," Herrick said. "She was originally her daughter's dog at college but she came home and bought Daisy, there was an instant connection so she let Daisy stay with her mom."

Daisy's situation was further complicated by the fact she had been diagnosed with Immune-Mediated Polyarthropathy (IMPA) a type of inflammatory joint disease that can be accompanied by bouts of serious illness.

According to Herrick, Daisy had in "the worst form" which was essentially erosive and all but destroys the joints. "It's a very difficult disease and the family thought I may be better equipped to help Daisy so they reached out for help," she said.

A little love can go a long way with a shelter dog. A 2018 study published in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science found just 15 minutes of one-on-one petting was enough to boost the emotional well-being of a shelter dog.

Herrick provided Daisy with that love during those dark days. But she did more than that: she gave her hope and a few more years of happiness.

"She came to me in 2020 able to walk some, but we got her a wheelchair," Herrick recalled. "Did acupuncture, swimming, pulse electromagnetic mat, laser, supplements etc. and maybe we were able to slow it down who knows."

A combination of steroids and other medicines might have had their drawbacks, but ultimately Daisy, who reached the age of 11, was comfortable and, more importantly, happy.

"She was happy up until two days before she passed," Herrick said. "She had a beautiful positive spirit and attitude. She played with her toys, could catch any treat you threw to her, loved tiny squeaky tennis balls, she was the best dog."

Then one day, Herrick noticed a change in Daisy's breathing and a "tired look in her eyes." It's a look she captured in a video posted to TikTok paying tribute to Daisy. A look that told her "It's time."

The video proved popular on TikTok, amassing close to 50,000 views. For Herrick, the clip was about more than just saying goodbye. It was about paying tribute to an "amazing little dog."

"Letting her go was sad," she said. "But I want to remember, and others to remember how precious and adorable and strong she was."

More than that, her story highlights the difference places like Happy Tails Rescue Retirement Home make for dogs like Daisy. "Many of the dogs here came from shelters where they were going to be put to sleep, just for being old, or ill," Herrick said. "They got the chance to live well here and hopefully die well instead of in a loud scary environment. I think that's a gift."