November is Adopt a Senior Dog Month.
November is “Adopt a Senior Dog” month but you should certainly consider this option year round. Having just updated our web page Puppy Care Recommendations for New Owners, it brings to mind how much simpler life can be when you bring an older, usually already trained, dog into your home. If an adult or senior dog is not already fully trained, they generally have a longer attention span than a puppy, and training can progress more quickly. Senior dogs are affectionate, calmer, often waiting to find that good life they always deserved. Read more to learn why should you consider adopting a senior dog.
The ASPCA published 10 good reasons to adopt an older dog. Perhaps the most compelling reason to adopt a senior dog is the need, to provide these loving dogs with a second chance. The rest is frosting on the cake. Adopting seniors can be incredibly rewarding, for you, your family, and the dog. These guys come to you with a “package” already in place, and discovering what that package entails, and fitting the pieces of the puzzle together with your life, is an incredible journey. The cute and quirky behaviors these seniors have will never cease to amaze and delight you. Everyday will be an adventure until you both finally figure each other out. The good news, these adventures are part of sharing the love, developing the bond, making a new best friend. While you may never learn your new dog’s back story, you will be creating a new one together, and isn’t that what it is really all about anyway?
You may think that adopting an older dog is just looking for heartbreak, knowing you do not have 10 to 15 years to spend together. Not so! You will learn to accept that each and every day is a gift and should be enjoyed. If you do not see that, simply follow the senior dog’s lead. It is something they clearly already know. They will teach you not to worry about insignificant things, learn to relax, play when you want to, take a nap when you feel like it. And it is all about the love! Seniors are very giving and affectionate. What love you give, you will receive back 100 fold.
Why Adopt of Senior Dog for a Senior?
Senior dogs are incredibly good companions for senior humans. Senior dogs often are calmer, already house broke, spayed or neutered, leash trained, know basic commands, patient, and loving. Even 80+ year old people can benefit from having a calm canine companion. While there are conflicting studies about the effect of pet ownership on human longevity, there are numerous health benefits to owning pets, including lowering blood pressure, and better survival after a heart attack. Dogs encourage us to get up and get moving every day, and in some cases actually give people a reason to keep on living, knowing someone needs to be there for the dog. The Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue has a wonderful “Seniors for Seniors” program that carefully matches personalities and abilities between new owners and older dogs. Organizations such as this want to place these dogs in a home that is capable and ready to accept the responsibility of ownership and where the dog’s personality will easily fit in and training requirements can be readily met.
Many other area rescues have senior dogs just waiting to find their new home. Main Line Animal Rescue is another area rescue with dogs of many ages needing a new home. It is best if you spend time with these dogs at the rescue, learn to get a sense of their personality and needs, and your heart will definitely go out to them as you find the right match for your lifestyle. The goal is to match the correct dog to you, so that this move from the rescue into your home will be the dog’s last move, finally going to that loving home it has been waiting for all along.
Why Adopt a Senior Dog for a Family?
Busy families can also benefit from adopting an adult dog. Training a puppy takes constant attention. Our busy family lives often mean essential socialization and training slip between the cracks while we are running the kids from place to place. Having a new best friend who already knows “the rules” can take a tremendous burden off the family in terms of time, energy and frustration. When adopting a senior dog into a home with young children, make certain to provide a quiet and safe place so the dog cannot be startled or disturbed while sleeping. In this case, would be best to adopt a senior dog who has a known history of being with and tolerating young children. Families with older children can certainly benefit when adopting a senior dog. Older children can learn responsibility and compassion by helping provide for the needs of an older dog
Sharing the Love.
It goes without saying that when bringing any new dog into the house you still need to be prepared physically, emotionally, and financially to take care of your new best friend. There are numerous “special needs” senior dogs who need someone to provide for medical and/or surgical care and give them the safe, loving home they certainly deserve. Saying goodbye to one of these guys at the end of their life is difficult, but knowing you gave them the comfort, dignity and love they deserved is the best medicine for us as we experience that loss. They could not have had those happy and feeling loved final years without you.
While some of the seniors are misplaced having lost their senior owner, many have had a very difficult early childhood and young adulthood.There is nothing quite like knowing you did your best in providing the best possible comfortable and loving years for a senior dog. Adopting a senior dog can give you both many years of wonderful companionship and love.
