Woman Shares A Post About How Quickly Dogs Age To Remind People To Cherish Every Moment With Them

Moose just turned 10 but Jessika met him when he was just a pup. "I got him the day I graduated high school. I found him at a vet's office I had been volunteering for. He was brought in and surrendered with all of his brothers and sisters and he just pulled at my heart. He was the only puppy that cared to come to me and when I would put him back with his siblings, he would cry wanting to come back out with me."

Jessika still remembers being on her senior trip and unlike most of the other kids in her class, she was ready to go home just so that she could see her little puppy. "Moose has always been a calm spirit. He is almost like a quiet guardian of our home," she explained. "He is the most gentle dog I have ever met and as the years with him progressed, I began to bring more animals home as it slowly turned into a wildlife sanctuary. He has become a rock for all of the animals who are shy and scared. They bond with him and as long as he is around, they have the confidence to do as they please instead of hiding in fear."

The woman's love for animals began when she was growing up outside a town in Georgia. Jessika rarely had other kids around to play with, so she spent most of her time in the woods and with her family dogs.

"When I moved to Florida a few years ago, I didn’t know anyone and it felt like my childhood all over again where my dog was my constant companion," Jessika said.

Jessika shared her thoughts on Moose getting old on Juniper Fox, a page dedicated to Juniper, Fig, and Elmwood -- three North American red foxes living out their lives in a home full of rescued exotics. "They were each born in captivity and are descended from fur-farm foxes. Because of their genetic differences from their wild counterparts, they cannot be released into the wild, but live happy, full lives with their loving adoptive family and their doggo brothers." She said people reacted to the post by telling her that they had a similar experience, that they did not know what they would do when their senior dog passes.

"I think most of us who have had pets know the feeling. We all explore the thought that one day they will not be with us and that we will have to bear that grief. My post was meant to be a reminder that each day with them is special because we never know how few of those days we truly have," Jessika said.