Mae the French Mastiff was found as a stray in Indiana. She was incredibly skinny with all her rib bones clearly visible. When Southern Indiana Animal Rescue came to pick her up, they found that she was only 70 pounds when she should’ve been about 140. However, the rescue later learned that her weight wasn’t even her worst problem. Poor Mae was diagnosed with terminal cancer, given between 2 weeks and 2 months to live.
The rescue knew that Mae deserved to live out her last days in comfort. So, Elizabeth Starck stepped forward to foster her. Over the past 9 years, Starck has fostered about 400 animals. She’s always determined to give them the best life possible.
“I love the old ones. I love the ones that just need a place to go until it is their time,” Starck said. “Just knowing whether they are with me a week or for two years… I hope that their time with me is wonderful for them. It changes their life hopefully.”
Caring for Mae
Being such a large dog, Mae is not cheap, especially when it comes to food. She eats about 10 cans of food a day! So, the rescue posted on Facebook asking for food donations, and to their surprise, many people were extremely generous.
About 800 cans of dog food were donated to the rescue. Some of those donations even came from locations farther away such as Texas, California, and even Hawaii! These amazing donations not only gave Mae plenty to eat, but it helped out lots of other dogs in need as well.
Mae soon became very popular on social media. The rescue and Starck regularly post adorable photos and updates on Mae. She has plenty of people cheering her on. She has even attended some fundraisers and meet-and-greets with fans.
This sweet dog even gets along with all her fellow foster dogs and foster cats. She’s very curious around the cats and loves to follow them around.
A Formal Adoption
Starck quickly learned that she and Mae had a special bond. Mae is such a sweet and loving dog, and Starck knew that Mae was meant to be a part of her family. So, after fostering her for less than 2 months, Starck decided to adopt her.
Starck brought Mae to the courtroom, where she pledged to love and care for her. County Judge Vicki Carmichael signed an adoption certificate, making Mae officially a member of Starck’s family.
Now, Mae has a loving home to live out the rest of her days. Starck doesn’t know how much longer Mae will be with her, but she’s so grateful to have such a sweet dog in her life, even if it’s only for a short period of time.
UPDATE:
Mae lived a happy life with her new family – but her humans always knew that their time would be short. On January 9 2020, Mae’s mom posted the following to Facebook:
“I’ve dreaded this since November 16th when I received the “it’s cancer” phone call. Today Mae let me know she was tired and her mission and purpose in life have been fulfilled.
“She shared her love of life and people with everyone she met. She lived for food and her newly found cat friends. She had such a gentle way about her and her calm way showed every time she met someone new.I’m going to miss her adorable face so much and I’d do it all over again if I could. Her nine weeks with all of us was something I never expected, but you all made it wonderful for her and myself. She deserved it and loved every minute of it. She felt all of the love, from near and far.“Mae, until we meet again. Run free sweet girl, you are one in a million.”
H/T: newsandtribune.com
Featured Image: Elizabeth Starck Facebook