A handwritten note left alongside an older dog surrendered to a shelter has struck a chord with animal lovers online, after a charity shared the story of Diva—a senior dog whose owner made what staff described as an “impossible choice.”

Staff at the Polk County Bully Project in Florida shared a Facebook post after arriving to work one morning to see Diva “placed gently in our safe space,” along with a note explaining why she had been left behind.

The post, which included a photo of the letter, has broken hearts online with thousands of reactions.

According to the Facebook post, Diva is around 8–9 years old and was once the SPCA’s Pet of the Month. Staff described her as an “absolutely AMAZING family dog” who knows her tricks and is good with cats, dogs and children.

Diva was eventually adopted, and the handwritten note, which the charity said “broke” staff, made clear how deeply Diva had been loved.

In it, her owner described her as a calm, affectionate dog with “zero aggression” and “zero barking,” calling her an “all the love couch potato” who only gets on furniture when invited.

The note also explained that Diva has a grain allergy and eats a grain‑free diet, and that while she has some mobility issues—“hips hurt when she wakes up”—she remains a happy, gentle companion.

Most heartbreakingly, the final lines explained the reason for the surrender: “Dad is homeless and unable to provide stable accommodations that she deserves.”

The charity emphasized that Diva was not abandoned out of neglect, but out of love. “Not because she wasn’t loved… but because she clearly was,” the post read.

In an update shared later, the charity said Diva has since been taken in by a neighboring SPCA. “Our friends one street over at SPCA have taken sweet Diva back ,” the post said, urging anyone looking for a senior dog to consider adopting her.

Staff said they hope Diva will not have to spend her remaining years in a kennel. “She knows what it means to belong,” the charity wrote. “She should not spend her senior years in a kennel wondering what happened.”

The organization is continuing to call for fosters or adopters, adding: “Let’s make sure the hardest day of her life leads to something better.”

Newsweek reached out to Polk County Bully Project via email for comment.