I was looking through my pictures the other day, and couldn’t believe how gray Buckley had gotten!
My sweet puppy isn’t so much of a puppy anymore. Since he was a runaway dog that we got from a shelter, we don’t really know how old he is. We estimate that he’s about 8 years old, but we can’t be certain.
Our family is filled with aging dogs, and then one sweet and energetic puppy (my sister’s). My parents have two older pugs, and poor Otis has just had to enter the diapered phase of life so he doesn’t ruin my parent’s house:
I’ve thought about how we’re going to handle pets and babies in the next 10-ish years, and I just don’t think I’ll be able to handle a puppy with young kids and babies. It’s just too much! And since I’m such an advocate of adopting instead of shopping for a pet, I know we’d love to get a dog from a shelter again. I will be strongly considering getting an older dog from a shelter the next time we’re looking at adding another member to our family. There’s just something about having a sweet older dog by your side! I’d ask you to consider adopting an older dog when you’re looking to add to your family – and there’s a lot of great reasons why you should consider this!
Here are 10 reasons to adopt a senior dog:
- They are overlooked far too often. Most people look for puppies or young dogs at shelters, and they won’t even look twice at an older dog.
- You may literally be the one to save their life. Overcrowding at shelters is a real issue, and senior pets are often the first ones to be euthanized.
- You can usually skip the training. Most senior dogs have learned to go to the bathroom outside, and they may know basic verbal commands.
- Even if they aren’t trained, you ARE able to teach them, even when they’re past the puppy stage!
- Speaking of the puppy stage – you don’t have to deal with it! A senior dog generally requires less exercise and lacks the puppy energy.
- Because you don’t have to deal with the puppy energy, you will have a built-in companion from day 1. Senior dogs are great and loyal companions.
- The guesswork is done. When you adopt a puppy, you’re not sure what they will look like when they get older, how big they’ll get, etc. When you adopt a senior dog, what you see is what you get!
- Your furniture & rugs will thank you! A senior dog is well past the teething phase, and won’t ruin your home by using furniture to teethe on.
- Older dogs can be more patient with children. Make sure you find out what you can about the dog’s history, and have your children interact with the dog before you adopt them. Often times, senior dogs have a more relaxed temperament.
- Senior dogs need love. They’ve lost the life they were comfortable with, and they will be forever grateful to you for rescuing them from a shelter.
If you need one more reason for why you should love a senior dog – just look at sweet Otis in action. He just LIVES to be LOVED!
I’m so thankful for people like Rachael Ray and her compassion for shelter pets. Rachael’s Rescue was created for all of the forgotten pets — the ones that might not have someone who loves them as much as you love your pet. She’s not just talking about it though – 100% of Rachael’s personal proceeds from sales of Nutrish have gone toward food, medical supplies and treatments for animals in need. For Rachael food equals love — whether she’s cooking a meal for friends or working with pet nutrition experts to create delicious recipes for your family’s furry companions.
Be sure to follow Rachael on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram if you have a heart for pets like she does!
Do you love a senior pet? Do you have any additional reasons to add to my list above?
Michelle says
We have two french bulldogs and our first one we got her at 9 months old and adopted our other one when she was 6 (now 8). We have never had to go through a puppy stage and as cute as puppies are I just don’t think I could handle it. Older dogs are beyond wonderful, all they want is you, what more could you ask for?
Christina says
YES – that’s exactly it, Michelle! I don’t think I could handle the puppy stage either – ha! Older dogs are seriously the sweetest 🙂
Haley says
Another bonus is sometimes you can get the puppy for a smaller fee. When we were looking for a dog, one of the volunteers told us they would give us one of the older dogs for half the price. We ended up getting a smaller dog that was about 2 years old and completely agree with all of the reasons you stated.
Christina says
Thanks for sharing, Haley! I didn’t know that! We got a smaller dog that was a little over 2 years old (5 years ago now) and he’s just the sweetest 🙂