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Rescued pets with second acts: An inspiring reason to adopt older animals

It's not every day that three women in their 70s and 80s walk into an animal shelter and say they'd like to see a dog nobody wants.
/ Source: TODAY

Sometimes a story comes along that’s so beautiful and so special that you have to fight past the tightness in your chest and remind yourself to breathe. That’s what happened when I encountered three nuns who went out of their way to adopt Remy, a 9-year-old pit bull who had been languishing at a shelter for months.

"My Old Dog" book cover
New World Library

In February 2014, I wrote a story for TODAY.com about the nuns and Remy that touched people around the world and had far-reaching effects, including this one: It helped inspire me to write “My Old Dog: Rescued Pets with Remarkable Second Acts,” a new non-fiction book with photographs by Lori Fusaro. Remy and the nuns are stars of the “My Old Dog” book. Here is an excerpt:

It’s not every day that three women in their 70s and 80s walk into an animal shelter and tell the executive director they’d like to see a dog nobody wants.

But to Sisters Veronica Mendez, Virginia Johnson, and Alice Goldsmith, nuns from Sisters of Our Lady of Christian Doctrine in Nyack, New York, their request made perfect sense. Why not adopt one of the animals most in need?

That mind-set led them to Remy, a 9-year-old pit bull that had been overlooked by shelter visitors for more than three months.

Sisters Alice Goldsmith, Virginia Johnson and Veronica Mendez (left to right) get acquainted with Remy the dog.
Sisters Alice Goldsmith, Virginia Johnson and Veronica Mendez (left to right) get acquainted with Remy the dog at the shelter in late January 2014.Pauline Jarney / Hi Tor Animal Care Center via Facebook

“As soon as I saw the sign that said ‘9 years,’ I said, ‘This is the one. No one is going to want this one,’” recalled Sister Veronica, a vivacious 71-year-old with iron-colored hair and a no-nonsense demeanor.

The nuns’ connection with the dog was immediate. Remy was docile. Remy was sweet. And when given a moment to mingle with the sisters at the shelter, Remy leaned her head into Sister Virginia’s chest and sighed. “She just got right up there,” said Sister Virginia, 79. “She said, ‘This must be my new family.’ ”

Sister Virginia Johnson gives Remy a hug at their home in Nyack, New York.
Sister Virginia Johnson gives Remy a hug at their home in Nyack, New York.Copyright Lori Fusaro / "My Old Dog"

RELATED: 'My Old Dog': A paw-some adventure leads to heartwarming new book by TODAY writer

For the nuns, a four-legged addition to their small, no-frills convent could not come fast enough. They were grieving the loss of their dog Kate, a gregarious 7-year-old mutt who had been a boundless source of energy and comedy in their lives.

Kate had left them too quickly. On a Friday, she went on a 4-mile walk with Sister Veronica. On Saturday, Kate’s groomer spotted some unusual lumps. On Sunday, Kate was lethargic. A few days later, she was ailing so much from lymphoma that the veterinarian put her down. “She was healthy one day and then, all of a sudden, lymphoma?” Sister Veronica said. “I was furious. I was so angry. I cried! Oh, how we loved that creature.”

Remy the dog runs in her backyard in Nyack, New York.
In shelters across the United States, it’s common for senior dogs and pit bulls to languish, unwanted, before being euthanized. Like Remy, many of those dogs could have years of adventure and affection ahead of them.Copyright Lori Fusaro / "My Old Dog"

The sisters rattled around their house crying for one week before they decisively hopped into their car. Their mission: rescue a shelter animal on death row. Minutes later, they explained their goal to West Artope, executive director of the Hi Tor Animal Care Center in Pomona, New York.

West liked these women. He learned that Sister Alice was 87 and that Sister Virginia, while statuesque and spunky, often needed a walker to get around. His mind raced and made a hopeful connection: Remy. Calm, gentle, unadoptable Remy.

Bingo.

“It just worked out so well,” West said. “We did a follow-up with them and went to the house, and the dog is so comfortable in that environment you wouldn’t believe it. It was like a match made in heaven.”

RELATED: 'No dog should die alone': Photographer promotes senior pet adoption

The nuns said they weren’t concerned that Remy was a pit bull — they could tell how good-natured she was. And even though they were reeling from Kate’s death, they decided not to dwell on Remy’s age, either.

“Our feeling was that she was in danger of being euthanized, and we wanted to give her the best three or four years she has left,” Sister Veronica said. “Here we are, three senior sisters, so we adopted a senior pet!”

Between the three of them, Sisters Veronica, Virginia, and Alice have spent 179 years serving as nuns. Their main mission has been religious education for children and adults up and down the East Coast. “It’s a great life,” said Sister Virginia, a nun for 62 years. “I wouldn’t change it.”

They love living in Nyack because of Hook Mountain, the Hudson River, and other natural wonders that surround them.

“It’s the perfect place to pray because you stand here and see all of God’s beauty,” said Sister Alice, a serene woman of few words. Sister Veronica agreed; she likened looking at the mountain to “praying without realizing it.”

Sister Virginia Johnson gives Remy a hug at their home in Nyack, New York.
Many people think it will be too sad to open their homes to dogs over the age of 6 or 7, even though they tend to make the calmest, easiest pets and they’re often already house-trained. The nuns said Remy fit right into their lives.Copyright Lori Fusaro / "My Old Dog"

RELATED: See a photo gallery from 'My Old Dog' on TODAY's Facebook page

Veronica loves having a dog to take along on contemplative walks and hikes.

Remy also gets to romp in the tree-filled backyard, play with scads of toys, and luxuriate on soft dog beds in multiple rooms of her new, comfortable home.

Remy quickly earned a nickname — Thumper — because of the happy way her heavy tail goes thump, thump, thump whenever one of the nuns approaches her or rubs her stiff left hip.

Sister Virginia said Remy’s contentment reminds her of foster kids she helped years ago as a social worker. When those children clicked with their adoptive parents, they showed an unmistakable sense of tranquility and relief.

“Remy did that with us — she sensed, ‘These are going to be my people. I can tell,’” Virginia said. “And we knew this was our dog. We could tell.”

Excerpted from the book "My Old Dog: Rescued Pets with Remarkable Second Acts." Text copyright 2015 by Laura T. Coffey. Photograph copyright 2015 by Lori Fusaro. Reprinted with permission from New World Library.

Laura T. Coffey is a longtime writer, editor and producer for TODAY.com. An award-winning journalist with more than two decades of experience, Laura has written and edited hundreds of high-profile human-interest stories. Lori Fusaro is staff photographer at Best Friends Animal Society in Los Angeles and owner of Fusaro Photography, whose clients include BAD RAP, Guide Dogs for the Blind, k9 connection, Angel City Pit Bulls, and other animal rescue organizations. Their website is www.MyOldDogBook.com.

There’s life (and love) in these old dogs yet

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There’s life (and love) in these old dogs yet

A Los Angeles animal photographer is on a mission: To change people's perceptions of older dogs and help more gray-muzzled pooches find loving homes. See images from her "My Old Dog" project here.