It’s been eight years since Steve Greig first began to heal his grieving heart by adopting old shelter dogs that no one wanted—and it has resulted in an unlikely furry family and social media stardom.
Grieg, who is an accountant from Colorado, has always loved animals. Throughout his life, he has cared for a number of cats, dogs, and other oddball pets, although his passion for unloved critters didn’t fully blossom until 2011 when the death of one his pups left him particularly heartbroken.
“I was just so distraught about [that death],” Greig told The Dodo. “A month or two went by and I still felt so horrible about it. I decided that the only way I would feel better was if something something good happened that probably wouldn’t have happened if he had not died.”
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He then went to his local shelter and asked for a dog that was having trouble finding a forever home. He ended up adopting a 12-year-old Chihuahua with heart murmurs and knee problems—and the rest is history.
Grieg has since adopted eight senior dogs with health issues. In addition to caring for two other dogs belonging to his sister and roommate, he also cares for a pig, a rabbit, a pond full of fish, and a chicken named Oprah.
Caring for this menagerie of critters isn’t easy. Grieg typically wakes up at 5AM every morning before work so he can prepare each doggie meal according to their health issues and administer their medications.
He then returns home from work around lunchtime so he can take the pups outside and dole out treats accordingly. Over the weekend, he makes sure to take the pups to their grooming and veterinary appointments.
Despite caring for so many different animals, however, Grieg’s passion is for senior dogs.
“They’re just wiser animals,” he told the news outlet. “You kind of know what you want out of life once you become a certain age. These dogs know who they are and it’s easy to develop a relationship with a person or pet who knows who they are.”
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Unfortunately, two of Grieg’s senior pups have passed away in the last year—but he has mentioned in the past that he hopes to continue adopting senior dogs to fill their places.
Grieg is not the only one who cares for these dogs, either. His “Wolfgang” Instagram page, which is dedicated to his furry companions, has collectively racked up over 800,000 avid followers.
The accountant uses his social media following to raise money for senior dogs by selling Wolfgang tee shirts and asking for donations on his website.
Grief is also set to release a children’s book about his animal loving antics in September called “The One and Only Wolfgang: From Pet Rescue to One Big Happy Family”.
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I LOVE this ❣❣❣ God bless you Grieg; wishing you and your beautiful sweeties nothing but love and blessings ❤🐶🐷🐔