When Edward arrived at a Maryland shelter as a stray, the staff could immediately see he needed extra help. He was wobbly, dragged his hind legs and had limited mobility. They knew the best chance the senior dog had was to get him out of the shelter and into
a foster home.
Lindsay B. and her family had fostered for the shelter before, so when she got the call about Edward, she decided they were up for the challenge.
“Our last foster had just gotten adopted a few days earlier, and our soul dog passed away about 3 months prior,” Lindsay told The Dodo. “We were not ready to adopt again but wanted to keep fostering and especially loved senior dogs.”
After taking their two young kids to meet Edward, they officially signed on to foster him and brought him home. They took him to the vet to get a better idea of his situation and were heartbroken to learn that, due to a myriad of health issues, he might only have six months left to live.
Despite his diagnosis, the family decided to keep Edward as a fospice dog and make whatever time he had left the best days of his whole life. They started him on supplements, laser treatments and acupuncture to make sure he was as comfortable as possible. The kids created a bucket list and got to work completing it. Edward was loving every moment of his new life — but his favorite part was definitely ice cream.
When a Mister Softee truck started coming to the family’s neighborhood, they got Edward a pup cup as a special treat. He absolutely loved it and quickly decided that ice cream days should happen as often as possible.
“He quickly knew when he heard the song what that meant when the truck was coming up the street,” Lindsay said. “He would get so excited and wobble as fast as he could to the curb and wait for his ice cream … The driver now has his pup cup ready and hanging out the window for Edward twice a week.”
Edward’s stroll to the ice cream truck is by far his favorite part of every week and always makes him seem younger, and apparently healthier too.
Edward was given six to 12 months to live — but that was over two years ago. Thanks to ice cream and his family’s love, he’s still going. He may be slowing down physically, but his spirit is as young as ever.
“He loves to be outside under his favorite tree, he loves to come with us wherever we go,” Lindsay said. “He loves meeting new people and dogs and of course gets most excited twice a week when the ice cream truck comes up the street. That is by far the fastest and longest he will walk in one stretch. Apparently, the secret to reverse aging is ice cream.”
Edward’s family officially adopted him a year after taking him in as a fospice. They have no idea how much time he has left, but plan to keep loving him fiercely for the rest of his days and giving him as much ice cream as his belly can hold.
