An adorable 13-year-old dachshund named Boo Boo has a new lease on life after a surgery removed a tumor that was nearly a third of her body weight.
The precious pooch was recently dropped off at Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco with what was believed to be a mammary tumor — weighing in at 3.2 pounds and dangling between the front and rear legs on her left side. The mass — which likely formed because she was never spayed, according to the shelter — was apparently never cared for by her previous owners.
“The guardians never took her in or tried to treat that tumor as it grew. And it grew to the point where it was literally dragging and starting to chafe on the ground because dachshunds have those little, short legs,” Muttville founder Sherri Franklin told the “Today” show. “We immediately said we would take her because we knew that there was no way she was going to make it out of the shelter alive because it’s a big surgery and it’s an unknown.”
Muttville staff temporarily used a belly band to elevate the mass and prevent it from dragging and then sent her to a veterinarian for bloodwork — which, thankfully, showed the tumor to be benign.
After surgery to successfully remove the large lump, even better news awaited Boo Boo: She found a new forever home with San Francisco resident Ashley Shuster, 26.
“I’ve always wanted a dog,” Shuster told “Today.” “I was watching Muttville’s website really closely. Then I saw Boo Boo. She had a little party hat on in her photo. I was immediately drawn to her. Also, my grandma had dachshunds her whole life, and that brought up a lot of really good childhood memories.”
Boo Boo wears a surgical collar post-surgery.Muttville Senior Dog Rescue
Shuster added that Boo Boo “just loves being able to run around. She gets so excited. She’ll just, like, hop through the grass, and it’s really, really cute.”
Shuster said her pooch seems to favor off-leash romps in areas near the Golden Gate Bridge.
“She especially loves running around, I think, because it’s been so long since she was able to move this freely,” she said.
A video on the Muttville YouTube channel describes Boo Boo as a dog who is “incredibly friendly, loves everyone she meets and greets them tail wagging!” Shuster is able to confirm that endearing assertion.
“She kind of prances around and knows she’s cute,” said Shuster, who in another minutelong video can be seen cuddling, kissing and running along with her canine cutie. “Everyone says ‘hi’ and stops us. She’s just so sweet and loving and is so adorable. I feel like I got so lucky.”
And the staff at Muttville, founded in 2007, couldn’t be happier with the turn of events.
“She came to us as a happy dog who couldn’t walk,” Franklin said. “Now she acts like a puppy. She has a whole new life ahead of her.”
New pet parent Ashley Shuster said she “always wanted a dog” before discovering Boo Boo.Muttville Senior Dog Rescue