“More Than the World” – Taco’s Happy Tail
February 4th, 2025
By Savannah Verdon, Development Manager –
When Alexis’ grandparents got divorced, the family worried how her grandmother Mildred would fare. But as one bond ended, another began – a truly unconditional, unbreakable bond. The sweet, handsome new man in her life? Taco the Chihuahua puppy.
In exchange for sole ownership of the family business, Alexis’ grandfather agreed to pay Mildred alimony for the rest of her life, so she stopped working. Their arrangement worked…until a series of bad decisions ran the business into the ground, and he could no longer fulfill his obligation. While she had legal recourse, the fact of the matter was that she was without income indefinitely. By then, she was in her late 60s, and every job application she submitted was met with “no” or no response at all. It was a harsh reality for many women in her situation. She was fortunate in that her house was paid off as part of the divorce settlement, but her social security income was not enough to cover the bills and she had no retirement account. Even though Medicare and SNAP benefits took some of the sting out of it, life felt unfair and unkind.
Taco, of course, knew nothing of this. He was fed, comfortable, and loved. His only responsibility was to be cute; that alone meant everything to his mama.
“My grandmother took in Taco as a puppy and he means more than the world to her. He is priceless. Even though Taco is not registered as an emotional support animal, I believe without him my grandmother would not still be with us. She has been struggling with dementia and Alzheimer’s for the past few years and has been depressed believing someone was breaking in at night to hurt Taco. Because she thought this was happening, she started taking him with her everywhere and sleeping in her car at night to protect him. We recently moved her into the nursing facility a little over a month ago because of her health issues, and her depression and anxiety have gotten much worse. I don’t think she would have survived the move if it wasn’t for her dog. She would do anything for him.”
Their financial circumstances were not improving over time, and soon, certain things began to fall by the wayside. One of those was Taco’s regular veterinary care. Alexis saved her money so she could bring Taco to her veterinarian for his shots. Now, he was up-to-date, but there was more tough news in store for Taco, Alexis, and Mildred. Like countless Chihuahuas before him, Taco had bad teeth. Several were infected and needed to be removed immediately. Alexis saved for months to pay for his vaccines; with the amount she was quoted for dental surgery, it would take nearly a year. If the family could find a way to afford it, they’d be saving their grandmother just as much as Taco.
Mildred, Alexis, and her uncle pooled what they had, about half of what was needed for the surgery. Their local humane society offered a grant that would be a big help. Meanwhile, Alexis was counting on compassion and kindness to raise what was left. Fortunately, compassion and kindness are what the FurEver Friends do best.
Alexis applied for a RedRover Relief Urgent Care grant on behalf of Mildred and Taco, making clear just how much the two needed each other – and how much they needed our help. With their grant approved, they could finally schedule his dental surgery. Counting the days until his appointment, they made sure Taco’s belly was full of treats and his chin thoroughly scratched. With Taco under anesthesia, the veterinarian counted 13 teeth that needed to be removed, more than 4 times the 3 teeth that were initially recommended. Still, they honored their quote. Taco woke up nearly toothless but feeling so much better. Alexis and Mildred agreed that it only made him more cute.
There’s no better feeling than keeping families like Mildred and Taco together by extending a little help and a little hope…by being their FurEver Friend. Thank you for your recurring support and the Happy Tails you make possible!
