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Dog saved one day before euthanasia to become senior living center 'house dog'

Journey will spend her days greeting and walking with seniors at Sunrise Senior Living Center in Silver Spring, Md.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — Six-year-old Journey ended up at an overcrowding shelter in rural Virginia after her owners were evicted. Journey was scheduled for euthanasia the very next day.

When Amy Creel of Knine Rescue in Montgomery County heard about Journey, she immediately went into rescue mode.

Creel safely and successfully rescued Journey and brought her to Maryland for an adoption event at Sunrise Senior Living Center in Silver Spring.

The senior living center was so taken by Journey that they adopted her and gave her a new job, "House Dog".

Credit: Amy Creel - Knine Rescue
Journey was rescued from rural Virginia and became Sunrise Senior Living Center's "house dog".

Best Friends Animal Society, a nonprofit dedicated to ending the practice of kill shelters across America, has an interactive map that displays the number of kill and no-kill shelters as well as the number of cats and dogs saved and killed in each state.

According to their data, 16,000 cats and dogs were killed in Virginia and 10,100 in Maryland between 2017 and 2018.

In that same year, 112,000 were saved in Virginia and 59,500 were saved in Maryland.

Credit: Best Friends Animal Society
The interactive map shows the number of kill communities as well as the number of cats and dogs killed and saved by state.

Journey's new job responsibilities at the senior living center include greeting all the residents, accompanying them in the "walking club" and sleeping with whoever needs comfort at night.

"It's a perfect life for an older dog who needed a second chance," Creel said.

Journey's days are sure to be filled with a lot of pets and plenty of treats.

Credit: Amy Creel - Knine Rescue
Journey was rescued from rural Virginia a day before she was scheduled to be euthanized. She is now the resident "house dog" at Sunrise Senior Living.

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