'Humans of New York' creator writes touching tribute to his beloved dog
"Humans of New York" creator Brandon Stanton's dog Susie, who inspired hundreds to adopt senior dogs, passed away this week at age 16.
In a tribute posted to the HONY Facebook page, Stanton wrote about Susie's powerful influence on his life — starting with her unexpected adoption.
"I was photographing in Brooklyn one evening when I saw the coolest little dog sitting on a stoop," Stanton wrote. "I sat down to pet her, and after a few minutes, her owner told me that he was unable to care for her anymore. He asked if I could take her."
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Despite having little money at the time, Stanton took 12-year-old Susie in.
"It was one of the best decisions I ever made," he wrote.
Susie proved to be a loyal companion not only for Stanton, but also for his fiancée Erin O'Sullivan, founder of senior dog advocacy nonprofit Susie's Senior Dogs.
"Thank you to everyone who has regularly followed Susie's senior journey and cared so much about her," O'Sullivan wrote in a post of her own. "Most important, thank you to everyone who has been inspired by Susie to adopt an old dog of your own."
Several Facebook commenters have chimed in with their own senior dog adoption stories — including Jillian Stoddard, who said Susie inspired her to adopt her own dog, Cinder.
"...she [Cinder] wouldn't be snuggled on my couch right now if it weren't for Susie," she wrote.
And although losing her is difficult, Stanton is grateful for the years he spent with Susie. "She was my introduction to the love of dogs," he wrote. "And she helped Erin discover her purpose in life."
"So in a way she's going to stick around forever," he added.
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Chloe was the shopping editor at Mashable. She was also previously a culture reporter. You can follow her on Twitter at @chloebryan.
