Foster mom brought home senior dog who became her life's 'biggest gift'

USA Today

2 days ago

When Vanshika Gupta brought home a senior dog to foster, little did she know she was bringing the "biggest gift" of her life yet.
Gupta, a final-year veterinary student in Melbourne, Australia, always loved animals and wanted to make a difference. When she signed up to be a foster through the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) Australia, a community-based charity providing animal care and protection services, she knew she wanted to bring home a special dog.
As Gupta found herself "reading through the stories of all the dogs on there," she came across Lacey, a 13-year-old Maltese-Poodle mix.
"It broke my heart seeing Lacey in there," Gupta told USA TODAY. "She was 13 years old. I knew she was towards the end of her life, but it broke my heart thinking her life was only started, and I didn't want her to spend her last months to years in a shelter."
Lacey's previous owners had brought her in to euthanize her, Gupta said, adding that she isn't aware of the dog's full story except that she came from "a history of neglect," which took a toll on her health and left her with several scars and one less tooth.
"I immediately connected to her photo on the foster portal and knew I had to bring her home and show her the most amount of love in her last days," Gupta said.
Bringing Lacey home
Gupta vividly remembers the moment she got the phone call to say that her foster application had been accepted.
"I was in my car and saw the RSPCA number call through, and my heart started racing," Gupta said. "I remember when they told me about her, I actually started crying. It felt like I had won the lottery. I know it sounds so silly, I hadn't even met this dog, but I truly was just so connected in those first few moments."
When the moment finally came and Gupta picked up Lacey, she said the drive home was "magical."
"The entire car ride, and I am not even exaggerating, she sat in the passenger seat and just looked at me," Gupta said.
Lacey, who wanted to cuddle in her lap almost immediately, had so much gratitude in her eyes and just kept staring at her new foster mom, Gupta said.
"The whole ride home, she just had such hope and gratitude in her eyes," she said. "Her first night, she slept like a baby."
'My soul dog'
Lacey was with Gupta for nine months before she died.
"I knew it wasn't that long, but she was my soul dog," Gupta said. "Lacey healed so much in me. Those 9 months felt like an eternity, and I would give anything to have more time with her."
Gupta said in the months Lacey was with her, the dog "really came out of her shell" and started becoming "the boss of the house."
The final-year student recalls Lacey sleeping on her bed in her old granny knitted jumper, with her head on a pillow, when she came into the room "accidentally being too loud and waking her up from her slumber."
"She gave me the absolute dirtiest look, and it made me laugh so much," Gupta said.
Now, while Gupta has a whole lot of memories with Lacey to savor, her coming out of her shell is her favorite.
"Purely because she was so comfortable by this stage and had so much character," Gupta said.
'No one should die alone'
Gupta is now advocating for people to foster dogs.
"Especially if people aren't really in a place to take on the responsibility of adopting a dog for whatever reason," Gupta said, adding many rescues cover vet bills and food costs during the fostering period.
"You can make such a big difference to these babies and provide them respite from the shelter while they get cleared for adoption," Gupta said.
"Who knows, maybe you'll end up with foster fail like I did, which could turn out to be the biggest gift of your life," she added. "Especially for our older babies who end up in a shelter, no one should die alone."
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [e-mail] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.