Top 10 Happy Tails of 2022: Meet Derby!
As 2022 comes to a close, we're taking a look back at all of the lives that we’ve saved thanks to your support. Today begins our Top 10 Happy Tails of 2022 — each story is remarkable in their own way and are examples of the heart of our Muddy Paws Pack community. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we’ve loved all of these special pups.
Today’s Happy Tail is the story of Derby! Sometimes, life throws you a curveball that you didn’t realize you could catch but it turns out to be exactly what you needed. That was the case for Abigail when she met Derby.
When Derby arrived in NYC from Kentucky in May, her grey muzzle and sweet disposition captured the heart of everyone she met, but her medical needs were uncertain. She had a large mass that required attention and a diagnosis, so we made an appointment for her at Firefly Veterinary Hospital for a biopsy and exam. During her visit, Derby caught the attention of Abigail, a vet at the clinic.
Even though Derby’s prognosis wasn’t clear - Abigail knew she wanted to take her home. The fact that one of Derby's biopsies came back as a sarcoma, a malignant growth, didn’t deter Abigail from giving Derby the best life possible.
Derby’s story in Abigail’s own words
I hadn't meant to adopt a large dog. My whole adult life I've had cats and wanted to ease into dog ownership with a little scruffy pup. But as soon as I met Derby, I knew that she was the one.
I first met Derby when she came into my clinic (where I was working as a vet) with her foster mom to have two lumps checked out. Her foster mom was at an adoption event when she noticed the lumps, so they pulled Derby from the event and brought her to us. Thank goodness they did because I would have missed out on so much joy.
The first time I saw her, I loved her. She was standing so calmly in the treatment room of the clinic, when she noticed a little stuffed elephant in a basket on one of the cages. She looked up at it, and then back at us, and then back up at it, with that little smile on her face, and we all melted. And of course that stuffed elephant went home with her!
Derby is from Kentucky - I grew up in the town that's the home of the Kentucky Derby, so it seemed like kismet. Derby’s heart is so pure and loving. She loves everyone that she meets. Everyone that she meets loves her.
When I first got her, I was SO nervous and so afraid that she wouldn't like me. I was afraid that she would be bored and depressed with me. But the first morning that I awoke to waggy tails and face rubs, I knew that we were going to be ok.
Derby LOVES to swim, and it fills me with joy to see her doing what she absolutely loves. And it's so good for her joints and muscles. She loves to play with other dogs. She loves to chase sticks, balls and frisbees. She loves to be silly and hide her face when we're playing. She loves to snooze next to me.
I never knew that I could love her as much as I already do. I’ve only had her for a few months, but I’m determined to make however many years she has left the most joyful and wonderful of her life. She has already changed my life so much for the better that it's hard to imagine my life before!
Before Derby, I was pretty isolated in my free time. I didn't do much walking or exploring. Now that Derby is in my life, I walk miles every day, I see the joy in little things, I'm meeting other people and sharing in the joys and also challenges that come with being a dog owner. Derby has helped bring me out of my shell and gives me motivation each day.
You know those little moments when you're going about your day and something just makes you smile or warms your heart? My day is filled with those moments now. And Muddy Paws has made that possible for me.
