When Ellie was discovered by No Kill Kern (NKK), a dog rescue in Bakersfield, California, she was on the verge of death. Jackie Cameron, executive director of NKK, was visiting a local shelter last month to pick up a different dog when the staff begged her to come see a terrier mix they had in the back.

The dog, Ellie, was estimated to be between 12 and 14 years old and had been living outside at an abusive home before a neighbor called animal control to coordinate her rescue.

No Kill Kern

“When I went to go see her, she was actually in the back, in the quarantined area, in a kennel by herself,” Cameron told The Dodo. “She was just laying on the ground, basically out of energy, very close to dying.”

She was just skin and bones, but since the public shelter had limited resources and was unable to treat her, Cameron knew that if NKK didn’t take her in she would probably be dead by the next day.

No Kill Kern

And so Cameron scooped Ellie up and rushed her to the Bakersfield Veterinary Hospital. There, doctors discovered she was malnourished and on the verge of going into a diabetic coma.

But despite Ellie’s dire predicament, there was no denying her joyous, fierce spirit.

No Kill Kern

“She was a very sweet girl and all she wanted to do was be held.” Cameron said. “I’ve never met a dog that just wanted to be held so much.”

No Kill Kern

But Ellie still needed a reason to keep fighting. She got one two days later.

The neighbor who had called animal control to save Ellie from her previous owners reached out to NKK and asked if Ellie’s son had come with her to the new rescue. Until that point, Cameron said, NKK was unaware that another dog had originally been picked up with Ellie.

Buster and Ellie joined a foster home together and from then on the two dogs were inseparable, as Buster took on the role of his mother’s caretaker before she passed away on January 12.

No Kill Kern

“A lot of people don’t give dogs the credit they deserve for their emotional capability,” Cameron said the day before Ellie’s death. “[Buster] knows when his mom doesn’t feel good and he knows what to do to comfort her.”

Cameron explained that whenever Ellie felt down and went to her bed to rest, Buster was quick to go lay right by her side.

No Kill Kern

Thanks to several acts of kindness, Ellie got to spend the remainder of her life happy and surrounded by those who loved her most, including her incredibly loyal son.

If you live in the Bakersfield area and are interested in adopting Buster