A thing I like to do when I feel miserable is look online at old dachshunds that need homes. I know. It’s a terrible idea and, of course, I end up feeling way, way worse. If I really feel like I hate myself, I look up old dachshunds who need homes who are also cart dogs, aka dachshunds with back problems who need wheels to get around. Yes, I know. I have issues.

Anyway.

So last week I was looking up dogs and crying, when I discovered this nice old man, Oscar. Below is his picture from the rescue people. Look at Oscar. LOOK AT HIM.

The rescue agency was going to be at an adoption event on Saturday in Minneapolis. So we debated. And we went. And, well, obviously, we got him. How could we not? He’s 12, he has 3 teeth, he’s kind of cranky… he was built for us. Also, look at him. His tongue is always hanging out of his mouth because he has hardly any teeth and a mouth full of stitches. He’s adorable.

Oscar’s story is that someone abandoned him recently at a human society. He was immediately put on the euthanasia list because of his age and his severe dental issues. Almost all of his teeth were rotten and he was a mess. The rescue people swooped in and fostered him. When we met him, he was about a week out from a really extensive surgery to remove all but three teeth. He was scared. Not only had he been abandoned (and likely not treated great prior to that), but he’d been at a foster home for a while, and now was in a pet store where three random humans were beaming at him and telling him they were in love.

We brought him home, worried that Edward and Billy would be furious. They are good dogs. They like other dogs, are not aggressive, and really posed no actual concerns other than the fact that we had been their people, and their people ONLY, for nearly 14 years. The meeting went great. All three instantly got along. All three went outside together, ate together, and slept in the same bed. It turns out he is not cranky at all. Not even a little. He was just standoffish with us at the event. He is, in fact, a completely loving and sweet little dachshund whose tail never stops wagging.

There is not a lot we can do in life to really truly feel like we’re helping anyone. But if we can give this senior dachshund, a dog the shelter was about to put down because they felt he was unadoptable, a nice retirement full of love, snuggles, and tons of attention, we will feel like we’ve done something good in this world.

Now, please enjoy some pictures. If you live around us, come visit. He is very friendly.