Benton, a little blue merle mini dachshund, joined us in February 2021 at age 14 after his oft-arrested owner had landed in jail yet again, this time for what was sure to be a long time, and the local shelter asked us to take him.
Arthritic, with a mouthful of rotten teeth and nails so long it was hard for him to walk, he had clearly been neglected but not abused, as he greeted everyone with confidence and optimism, skinny tail in full swing. Stubborn and demanding, as his breed dictates, he was also uncommonly sweet and trusting.
He joined us in winter but as soon as spring arrived he became a living sundial, insisting upon being outside from soon after sunrise every day, changing his nap spots every hour or so, following the rays as they moved from east to west. That’s probably because he had lived in a trailer with his person and then in a car, and probably didn’t have the chance to enjoy fresh air and sunshine.
Pain meds had made his creaky doxy back less painful and he would sometimes launch into the happy zoomies, causing a bit of a ruckus as the rest of the dogs moved out of the way and barked encouragingly.
He passed away not quite two years after he joined us, cradled by caregiver Shae. We’re pretty sure he believed the time he spent at The Hut was the best of his life.