Why ?

Here's why ;

Reasons to Adopt a Senior Dog

Senior dogs love to sleep and cuddle the day away. They enjoy a brisk daily walk, but the best part of the day is the nap. They love for you to join them.

Senior dogs have a tremendous amount of love to give. When you rescue a senior dog, you have a best friend for life.

Senior dogs reward your care with an unwavering devotion. Nothing matches the love of a senior dog for his rescuer.

Senior dogs have learned many of life's lessons. They know, for example, that shoes are for walking and bones are for chewing.

Senior dogs know that great outdoors is for eliminating and the house is for relaxing. Your carpet will last longer with a senior dog.

Senior dogs can learn new tricks and be valuable family and community members. They make excellent therapy dogs.

Senior dogs often fit into your household with ease. They find the softest, warmest spot in the house and claim it for their own, but they will share with you, too.

Senior dogs make excellent companions for everyone, especially senior people.

Senior dogs are often the first to be killed in area shelters. Passed over for cute and cuddly puppies, they often do not have a chance and must go to make space for more puppies.

Adopting a senior dog saves a life!

http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?p=439159#post439159

;)

Oh yes, and of course senior goldens are especially nice. :D

Oh yes, and of course senior goldens are especially nice. :D

Goldens ? Ah yes , goldens too :laughing:

and senior beagles!!

Amen to that sister. I will never be without a senior dog again. So snuggly and loving. I'm so smitten with Polly.

Just finished fostering a 6 month old puppy and it brough back with screaming clarity my resolve to never have a dog younger than 2 again. 2 months she was here and I never go a full nights sleep.

I know a lot of people say "oh I couldn't get a dog that will die in a few years!" But there is no guarantee on any dog's lifespan, and if a senior dog can give you a few years of happiness, isn't it worth it? We adopted out a 16 year old shepherd mix once, and she only lived another year, but she made her new family so happy, they wouldn't trade that year for anything!

Right now 50% of the dogs in our shelter are 8 years old or older. 50%. And those dogs are the sweetest most well-behaved dogs, but they get overlooked just because of age. Older cats have the same problem. But older pets can be great first pets because they are usually already trained, and they've usually come from a home, so you know their background.

Just finished fostering a 6 month old puppy and it brough back with screaming clarity my resolve to never have a dog younger than 2 again.
You could not pay me to take a puppy. They are very cute to look at, but I could never live with one! The youngest dog I've ever had was 1 1/2 when I got her (that was sable, and she did go through a whole chewing furniture and being not-housebroken phase, so now I think I'll stick with dogs 3 and up!)

I'm so smitten with Polly.



Pics please :D (I love older Beagles)

Nelly the dane I'm fostering is about 1-2 yr old, it wasn't my intention to keep her , I didn't even ask for a dane, I only told them give me any dog that needs a foster home. I am now very attach to her (it's been 4 months) , and yes I want to keep her when she's ready to go up for adoption. But I do feel bad , like she's taking an older rescue's place , one who wouldn't get adopted and that I would keep to myself....so I guess I will have to consider having a fourth dog :D Hazel and BHRR are such bad influences one me. :p

so I guess I will have to consider having a fourth dog
Yes, four is a good number! with 3 dogs, one always gets kind of left out when they play. With 4, they can play in teams of 2! (I have been trying to convince my parents that 4 is the magic number for a while now, I don't know if it's working. But I need another rescue collie, I really do! :D )

Great post, Frenchy! I forwarded it to the rescue I volunteer for (am I allowed to say the name or is that promotion??) that specializes in helping senior dogs find homes.

Our first dog was seven when we adopted him and we were so glad to get a pre-trained dog! He only was with us two years unfortunately, but SableCollie is right - sometimes you only get 2 years with a young dog too! My friend had a 3 year old who developed so many health problems that they had no choice but to say goodbye.

Our senior dog seemed to always wear those grateful brown eyes.

Senior dogs are the best!

I forwarded it to the rescue I volunteer for (am I allowed to say the name or is that promotion??) that specializes in helping senior dogs find homes.



I don't think it's promotion, you're not selling anything. I saw a couple of these rescues on petfinder in your area. Too bad there none here (rescue for seniors) I would sure love to start one. But you need money for this. :frustrated:

Oh, great post Frenchy!!! I know I'm a poor example at the moment adopting a puppy this time around, LOL, but my previous rescue Max, was a senior dog. So convenient to have all the training and housebreaking already taken care of. :thumbs up He lived for about 4 years.

Frenchy, is it okay if I keep this list of reasons to adopt a senior dog for possible use in our next newsletter? I write up the newsletters and I am always looking for stuff like this to put in.

Frenchy, is it okay if I keep this list of reasons to adopt a senior dog for possible use in our next newsletter?

Of course it is , I stoled it from another website :p it was anonymous :shrug:

I don't think it's promotion, you're not selling anything. I saw a couple of these rescues on petfinder in your area. Too bad there none here (rescue for seniors) I would sure love to start one. But you need money for this. :frustrated:

Ok, so Frenchy said I'm allowed! :thumbs up
It is 'Mature Dog Adoptions'. They don't keep the dogs on site or in foster families, they just help other rescues by listing senior dogs from rescues all across Ontario in one place (they use Petfinder)...so that someone looking for a senior dog will find it easy to locate one by going to their website. I guess its just another way to give the older dogs more 'profile' and hopefully increase their chances of finding a home. I should ask her if/how they keep track of whether their website helped the adoption decision!

That's very nice, giving them more exposure :thumbs up they are more likely to get adopted that way .

Of course it is , I stoled it from another website
Aha! Now we know the truth! :D

It is 'Mature Dog Adoptions'. Do you mean this one (http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/ON22.html)? Not promoting of course, just mentioning.....

Senior animal rescues are great! The Senior Dog Project (http://www.srdogs.com/) also lists senior dogs in need in US, Canada, and UK as well as information on adopting an older dog..

Aha! Now we know the truth! :D



I hope you guys didn't think I wrote that myself, my english is not that good :p

Currently I have someone who wants to adopt an older golden and we have not been able to find one for her. Ideally she is looking for a male golden around 7 years old. She adopted a dog from us many years ago and he passed away recently from cancer. She is lonely and can't wait to find another companion.

Currently I have someone who wants to adopt an older golden and we have not been able to find one for her.

It's not often you can say that hey Coppperbelle ! I just don't get it, I sure hope it's because owners are more responsible now.

Do you mean this one (http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/ON22.html)? Not promoting of course, just mentioning.....



Yep! That's the one! (just saying....;) )

I know I'm a poor example at the moment adopting a puppy this time around,

but if everyone would adopt seniors, what would happen to the puppies ? :p

But really, I see more and more people adopting senior dogs. :highfive:

Do you mean this one (http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/ON22.html)? Not promoting of course, just mentioning.....



:yell: why did I look ? :frustrated: So many Beagles :cloud9: an English setter :lovestruck: ..... note to self : keep buying those lotto tickets :pray:

I know...its hard for me to look at it each week. I want to take them all home!! We try to keep it down to 4 pages since they find that people lose interest after 2 or 3 pages of dogs...:sad: ...but normally that's impossible since there are so many.

There are a lot of beagles since Bobbie does Beagle rescue as well I believe.

Why are there so many Beagles ? We practicly don't have any here in Quebec. Do people buy them to hunt and then give them up when they get old ? :confused:

I'm no beagle expert, but I think we do see a lot of them in the countryside here. Not unusual for hunters and farmers I guess. From what I understand, a lot of beagles follow their noses a little too far and get lost....
There seems to be a different mentality in the country (vs city) about dogs too - maybe when they go missing, they don't look too hard for them?

There seems to be a different mentality in the country (vs city) about dogs too - maybe when they go missing, they don't look too hard for them?


That and the people who dumped them in the country thinking farmers adopt every strays :mad:

That what,s keeping me from adopting a Beagle, their nose....

Yep - there is always the dumping problem. :mad: That's what happened to our lab we think. He was dumped at age 7 in cottage country (Val Des Monts) on the quebec side. I'm glad Lab Rescue got wind of him and then we enjoyed his last 2 years with him!

I absolutely melt for a beagle - they are so adorable! :cloud9: I just couldn't hack the noises that come out of hounds! My mom's neighbour has two and one sounds like a cat in distress!!!

Beagles that are not any good at hunting or too old to hunt are disposable to some hunters. The lucky ones are found by beagle rescues. The not so lucky ones I cannot even think about without tears. Sometimes it is also much cheaper to pick up a whole new pack of beagles for the next hunting season than to feed them in the off season so out into the wild they go.

Here is some pics of Polly as requested:

Here is some pics of Polly as requested:

:cloud9: aww , what a cute little girl ! Love her ears , and her eyes .... :lovestruck: I REALLY love Beagles , but I don't know if I should ever adopt one, I would always be afraid they would escape from my yard (even if fenced , sometimes they can slide right under) maybe I should get on with a bad nose :laughing:

Here is some pics of Polly as requested:

oh my :cloud9: look at that face!!!! :lovestruck:

Awwww cute beagle! :lovestruck: She looks so huggable! :cloud9:

Awwww cute beagle! :lovestruck: She looks so huggable! :cloud9:

Every chance I get. Her fur is super soft as well. We dug under the fence and buried extra boards underneath so any foster dogs couldn't dig out, but none of mine are diggers. A regular wood fence about 5 + feet high will keep a beagle in. No chain link though. I have met people who's beagles have scaled 6 foot high chain link fences to follow a scent.

I adopted my Brother in laws six year old dog (maybe seven??), after the birth of their 1st child, they realised that they could not giver her the attention that she craved.
I was against it at 1st, having sworn never to get another one after my two had passed away. However, she was a sweet girl, a bit bigger than what I was used to, and had never ever been inside!!
It was the best decision I have ever made, I cherished every moment that we spent together & we formed a bond that I had never experienced before.
The day she came home, she spent her 1st night inside (and every night after for the next 6 years,) there was no need to toilet train her, she knew what was expected, and soon settled down with no drama. Her affection was genuine & heart felt and never she never left my side. With seniors, what you see is what you get.

It was the best decision I have ever made, I cherished every moment that we spent together & we formed a bond that I had never experienced before.


awww , I love reading stories like yours :cloud9: and because of speaking about it , more people are now adopting older dogs, not enough, but it's looking up. :highfive: