In a final act of love, Isabel Klee gave a sick foster dog the gift of family just hours before he was set to be put down.
The Brooklyn, N.Y., resident and experienced dog foster, who has been opening her home to animals for seven years, welcomed a medical and behavioral foster dog named Zero from Muddy Paws Rescue on Dec. 8. But just weeks later, Isabel shared heartbreaking news about the senior white dog’s rapidly declining health.
“We’ve been having a lot of conversations about Zero and his quality of life,” she said in a Dec. 19 video. “He’s been mentally declining very fast.”
Zero spent his days distressed and barking, and despite the rescue team’s best efforts, it became clear that his suffering was increasing. Isabel admitted the situation was one she had never faced before: “It’s really hard for me to process that I couldn’t help him and I couldn’t save him. Sometimes, when you take dogs like this, it’s not always possible.”
Two days later, Isabel shared that Zero had passed away, surrounded by the love of the people and team who had cared for him.
“There will be no more pain, no more confusion, no more agitation, no more anger,” she wrote on TikTok. “Just the legacy of a resilient little shelter dog who was loved until his very last breath. If I gave him anything, it’s the gift of a person who will miss him long after he’s gone.”
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