7-Week-Old Puppy Brought In To Be Euthanized, but Vet Has Other Ideas

A veterinarian who was presented with a seven-week-old puppy due to be euthanized decided to do something entirely unexpected: adopt the pooch.

Dr. Oliver Reeve is a veterinarian and the director of Onewa Road Veterinary Hospital in New Zealand. It's a position that has put him at the heart of some very difficult situations.

Read more: Compare the Best Rewards Credit Cards for Pet Owners

The most recent of these concerned Toby, a tiny, fluffy puppy who was facing the bleakest of futures. "He was presented to us for euthanasia because the birth defect would cause ongoing suffering for him," Dr. Reeve told Newsweek.

Dr. Reeve chose not to disclose the exact nature of Toby's birth defects, in part because he saw it as a breach of privacy but also because he did not want to invite any "judgment" of Toby's former owner from those who do not know the circumstances around his arrival.

"The main point is that the owner sought veterinary care for a puppy that was in pain. It was brave of them to come to the clinic and request euthanasia," he said. "I'm sure it was a very difficult situation for them, but they took responsibility and sought appropriate care. That is something I respect and it is far, far better than people who just dump unwanted animals."

Euthanization is a sad reality for countless animals all over the world. In the U.S. alone, the ASPCA estimates as many as 390,000 dogs are put to sleep each year.

Despite his years of experience, the prospect of doing the same to Toby was difficult for Dr. Reeve to contemplate. " It can be very challenging, emotionally, for vets to euthanize healthy animals," he said. "We've all done it and will have to do it again in future, but it takes a lot out of us. Sometimes it's the best option in a really difficult situation and it's a better choice than leaving an animal suffering."

However, in the case of Toby, the more he thought about it, the more Dr. Reeve realized there was another way. There was something he could do that would change Toby's outlook entirely.

"In this case I thought I could give Toby a good home and fix his birth defects. I 100 percent knew my wife would be completely supportive of adding another one to our menagerie of six rescues," he said.

So he decided to offer Toby's former owner the option to simply "surrender" their dog to the veterinarians.

"This option means there is no cost to the original owner, I adopt Toby and become responsible for fixing him," Dr. Reeve said. "Surrender is not often an option, many times vet clinic staff are tapped out with the number of animals they've already adopted, but that day was Toby's lucky day."

That night Toby returned home with Dr. Reeve, to a new home and a new family excited to have him among them. Even better still, since then, Toby has already undergone the first of two surgeries that should fix his health issues.

"The definitive surgery will have to wait until he's older and more grown," Dr. Reeve said. "He's comfortable, happy and active."

When Dr. Reeve first met Toby, the dog was facing a dark, uncertain future. Now, his future is set as one of certainty and light.

"Toby will now grow up being a vet's dog," Dr. Reeve said. "Which means he'll come to work with me at the clinic where he will be doted on and lovingly smothered by a range of vets and nurses at work. At home I'll spend my time training him to respect and not chase my rabbits."

Reeve originally shared Toby's story to his X, formerly known as Twitter, account @FeltonR and will continue to provide updates on his progress. He hopes Toby's story provides some modicum of joy but also helps people realize the "complicated nature of pet care" and why his original owners did the right thing in seeking out veterinary help.

"Everyone's journey is different, everyone's resources are different as well," he said. "Vets are here to help and we do our best to find the best path forward in lots of different situations."