When Snoots arrived at Austin Pets Alive! (APA!), the staff could hardly believe what they were seeing.
The frail, 12-year-old pup was completely unresponsive — a tiny, five-pound shadow of what used to be a dog.
His breathing was shallow, his body weak, and his eyes dull. To anyone else, it might have looked like the end.
But to the team at APA!, giving up wasn’t an option.
Luis Sanchez, the shelter’s director of public relations and communications, recalled the heartbreaking sight.
“He was unresponsive, and the shelter staff thought they might have been too late,” he said. “But we cared for him like any other patient.”
So they got to work. Snoots was given warm food, gentle hands, and top-tier veterinary care.
The team administered medications, checked his vitals, and made sure he was comfortable.
And while the science of medicine was doing its part, something else just as powerful was at work — love.
They talked to him softly, telling him he was safe now.
They stroked his fur, gave him dinner, and tucked him into a cozy kennel for what everyone feared might be his final rest.
Then morning came — and with it, a miracle.
When the staff arrived for their shift, they were met not with silence, but with the faint sound of a tail thumping against the kennel door.
There was Snoots, standing up, eyes open, alive and alert.
“He greeted the shelter’s vets the next morning at his kennel door, looking like a real dog again,” Sanchez said.
It was as if Snoots had decided overnight that he wasn’t done yet.
The dog who had come in lifeless was now wagging his tail, ready to live.
At 12 years old and weighing just five pounds, Snoots still has a long recovery ahead.
His body is fragile, and his time uncertain — but that hardly matters anymore.
What counts is that, for however long he has left, Snoots will never face another moment alone.
Now living in a loving hospice foster home, Snoots spends his days doing exactly what he loves: being held, snuggling close, and enjoying the peace of unconditional care.
His foster family dotes on him endlessly, making sure his final chapter is filled with warmth, comfort, and affection.
“Despite everything, he’s a total sweetie pie and just wants to be held,” Sanchez said.
“He doesn’t need much. Still, APA! is prepared to offer him the world for as long as he’s in it.”
Snoots’ transformation isn’t just physical — it’s emotional.
It’s a story of how compassion can breathe life back into even the weakest soul.
He’s a reminder that sometimes, the simplest act — a meal, a gentle touch, a safe place to rest — can turn tragedy into triumph.
Because in the end, Snoots didn’t just survive. He chose love.
And love, as it turns out, was exactly what he needed to live.
