Thursday, August 6, 2020 | NHS staff

Woody was adopted by the Torson family in January of 2008. He had been found wandering the streets of Papillion in the dead of winter with stitches in his neck from an ingrown collar and kennel cough.

He was too sick to go home with the Torsons when they first met, but a week later they took Woody to his forever home. He spent 12.5 amazing years in the loving home. With the love he provided, you never would have known he had such a rough past. He loved walks, squeaky toys, playing in the backyard and car rides. 

Woody before and after

A note from the Torson family:

"Woody went from being a little shelter dog to the center of our world. He was more than a pet. He was family.

"The amount of joy that little rescue dog brought us cannot be measured, and we'd just love to be able to show people the amount of impact you can make in an animal’s life and how much they also can make in ours. 

"We would never dream of bringing a dog into our home at this point that wasn't a shelter dog, because they have so much love and potential to share. We watched this sad, scrawny dog turn into just the perfect companion. He had an amazing personality and a heart of gold.  We were blessed to have him in our lives for right around 12.5 years and the memories and love that we shared with him was like nothing we ever experienced before,  especially not having children of our own.

"As he got older, he needed more help, but it was a labor of love for Emmy.  She put her heart and soul into him. She was amazing to him during his toughest times . Mike thinks that her care helped him enjoy another six months of life that he may not have had otherwise.  Without the (Nebraska) Humane Society, he would never have been a part of our lives for so long."

– Mike and Emmy Torson

Woody appeared in the Tails' Tales Magazine in summer of 2010. Here is that article: