Dan Smyers’ 16-Year-Old Rescue Dog Passes Away

She had a beautiful life for those last few months...

Dan Smyers’ 16-Year-Old Rescue Dog Passes Away
Photos courtesy of Dan Smyers on Instagram

The 16-year-old chihuahua that Dan Smyers and his wife Abby adopted has passed away. In a post announcing her passing, Smyers revealed that in addition to being underweight, the dog suffered from terminal cancer. The couple took care of the dog they called Missy, Tiny and Little One until her death and even hand-fed all her meals. In the post, Smyers included multiple photos and videos which showed the good life given to the pup before she died.

“Our hearts are broken to share the news that sweet missy/tiny/little one has passed away,” Smyers wrote alongside the photos. “We knew when we adopted her at age 16 with terminal cancer that our time together would be limited, but it’s still never easy saying goodbye to a loved one. She was safe in our arms as she left us peacefully, and for that we are grateful.”

Smyers went on, thanking his wife Abby for the dedication she showed taking care of the dog. The pup was also at home among their four other dogs.

“Can’t say enough about the grace and patience of my superhero wife Abby for dedicating every waking minute to this sweet girl: from hand-feeding each meal, to giving her all the happy days in the sun,” he wrote. “And our dogs joy, chief, ghost, and mac for welcoming her into the pack with open paws. missy, we love you and you’ll always hold a special place in our hearts and home. may all your days be sunny, and your little tail never stop wagging. and to all of you who have so kindly followed her story, thank you. someone once said, ‘dogs lives are too short. their only fault, really.’ truer words have never been spoken.”

Smyers and his wife took in Missy in late February, writing at the time: “16 years old. emaciated. no teeth. etc. all alone and terrified at the shelter. we weren’t going to let her live the rest of her life like that.”