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5 Things You Shouldn’t Say to a Senior Dog Owner

Guest Post Friday is our series which shares funny pet bloggers, and smart dog lovers, pet industry influencers and animal advocates. With lots of fascinating people involved in making a difference in the lives of animals this is our way of sharing them across the Grouchy Puppy community. 

Today our friend A.J. from I Still Want More Puppies returns, with a list of comments and questions she hopes never to hear again about her Bella or any senior dog. Her sweet Bella is along for the ride, showing her support with two choice photos. To read more about pup culture and pop culture in A.J.'s tongue-in-cheek style, check out her blog. Her motto may be Puppies = serenity now, but don't let it fool you, she actually likes adopting adult dogs. And while you're at, read her previous post she wrote for us about the many reasons you should adopt an older dog.

5 Things You Shouldn’t Say to a Senior Dog Owner

Chances are that one day you will encounter someone who owns a senior dog (or you have already). You’ll innocently ask the dog’s age. Upon learning that the dog is no longer a spring chicken (or a spring puppy, I suppose), what will you say?

The Human Animal Bond | How pets play a larger role

Guest Post Friday is our series which shares funny pet bloggers, and smart dog lovers, pet industry influencers and animal advocates. With lots of fascinating people involved in making a difference in the lives of animals this is our way of sharing them across the Grouchy Puppy community.

Our latest installment is from a passionate pet advocate we met two years ago.

The Human Animal Bond

I am head of a multi-pet household. I share my home with two cats and three birds. I am never alone. I maintain connections with my parents, siblings, friends, and extended family, but I consider the moments I spend with my pets some of the most important in my day. In times of stress or turmoil, they are there for me. I can’t imagine my life without them.

From the early days of human history, animals have had an impact on our lives, but in the 19th century, when we started bringing them into our homes as companions, the relationship began to deepen. Now, the majority of homes in the United States have at least one pet.

Cleo throws down the cute when you come home

Those of us who share our lives with animals believe we are the better for it. Modern society is impersonal. We once relied on our neighbors and family connections, but now technology gives us the illusion of greater independence, and fewer meaningful connections as a result. The connections we have are closer to home, centered on family, but families are changing too, becoming geographically scattered. Our families are smaller, family units more fluid. As a result, pets have taken on a larger role in our lives. For many of us, pets are family.

Caring For Your Senior Dog

It is Guest Post Friday, and this time we have Sonia Singh, a large dog expert who writes the Big Dog Blog at Paw Posse. She shares some valuable tips for making sure your older dog is in tip-top shape throughout their golden years.

Caring For Your Senior Dog

Just like puppies need special food and health care to nurture their growing bodies, senior dogs need special care too. As they move from adulthood to golden years, their bodies change and so do their needs. Keep these tips in mind to give your dog the care they’ve earned.

What’s A Senior?

Before all else, know when your dog is considered a senior. It’s not the same for each dog – it varies based on size. Larger dogs are considered senior earlier than small dogs. The American Animal Hospital Association considers small dogs senior once they hit 10 years old, while a giant breed could be considered senior at just 5 years old. One way to estimate senior age is half of your dog’s life expectancy. Another way is to determine your dog’s relative human age (see chart below) and consider them a senior when they reach 50-55 “human” years. For the best estimate, ask your vet when your dog will reach senior age.

Rosalynn Lily's Therapy Dog Photos

Here are the therapy dog photos that go with yesterday's guest post on how a rambunctious Border Collie became a therapy dog! Hope you enjoy them, woof woof!

We did it!

How a rambunctious Border Collie becomes a Therapy Dog!

Allow me to introduce myself....my name is Rosalynn Lily, I'm a five year old wild and crazy Border Collie.

When I was adopted by my fur-mom at 7 weeks old from a local Livermore rancher, she kept saying that she needed to find a job for me as she hadn't been able to do that with her previous border collie.

We tried agility when I was old enough but unfortunately, due to an injury I sustained during my training, I never had the opportunity to compete in a single agility competition. That injury also kept me out of other high intensity activities such as flyball or what I was bred for, competive sheep-herding.

So what was left for me to do as a job?  Mom decided that she would try to get me certified as a therapy dog. She contacted the local animal shelters for any therapy dog training programs they might have in place. We ended up training and getting our certification via the East Bay SPCA in Dublin.[...]

Guest Post Friday SF SPCA Senior Scholars Class

A few months ago, I attended the first Senior Dog Seminar at the San Francisco SPCA. For anyone with an older dog, the class gave you valuable information on caring for your beloved, ensuring their golden years are as happy and healthy as they can be. One of the speakers at the seminar was Lisa Dossey, an instructor at the San Francisco SPCA. Today Lisa has contributed a guest post detailing her new Senior Scholars class, inspired by her dog Bonesy.

Senior Scholars is the first public class to be offered at the San Francisco SPCA catering to people (of any age) and their Senior Best Fur Friends (ages 7 and up)

We had a full group comprised of eager wise canines and people gather for our first set of classes starting October 29th, 2011. The class is designed for Senior Dogs and our first and foremost priority is your Senior Dog’s comfort and happiness. This is a four (4) week class - the first class is an orientation for humans only - and the following three (3) weeks are for you and your Senior Best Friend!

[Precious Delilah taking a rest on her plush cozy bed in her beautiful graduation necklace!]

The first week’s orientation includes an eye-opening (and surprise!) team exercise as well as a “Sharing circle” when we share our dog’s name, breed, age, and any medical and behavioral issues we should be aware of in order to make the class safe and fun for all attendees.

Dexter's Ruff Life and Flea Free Holidays

Another cute pair of dogs making merry at Christmastime. Here are Dexter and Peppermint sharing their example of “giving fearlessly” to us. 

 

National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week: A Bear and His Ears

This is a guest post by Jennifer, an animal lover who has the uncanny ability to meet a dog and remember their name way better than she can remember the human’s name (which has led to some awkward moments at a party or two). Jennifer strives to influence positively each day and make a difference in a dog's life whether it’s by training and spending time with her four-legged family member or walking the dogs at the local animal adoption center.

When we saw his picture posted on Petfinder.com, we were instantly drawn to him. And the name “Bear” described him perfectly: he had a thick, fuzzy black coat, big soulful amber-brown eyes (like the color of honey), and an adorable, cuddly pudgy-puppy physique. But the feature we were most drawn to…his ears! With his one ear standing straight up at attention, and the other ear all floppy like a Lab’s, Bear’s mismatched ears only added to his cuteness and barked volumes for his goofy personality.

We were encouraged to discover Bear was staying at a shelter right here in San Francisco, and we were even more excited to learn he was just around the corner from us at the Pets Unlimited Shelter & Adoption Center! (It was the wonderful folks at Pets Unlimited who named Bear so fittingly.) Once the adoption process was complete, we headed home with our new family member, filled with joy and excitement as any new parents would be. It was then about a week later when the bizarreness began…

Adopting an Older Dog: 10 Reasons Why

Guest Post Friday is our new series sharing funny pet bloggers, and smart dog lovers, pet industry influencers and animal advocates. With lots of fascinating people involved in making a difference in the lives of animals this is our way of sharing them within the Grouchy Puppy community. Our first guest post is from A.J., a long time friend of Grouchy Puppy and someone we finally got to meet in person at BlogPaws. She shares her reasons behind why all dogs can be puppies and why she loves senior dogs - perfect timing for Less Adoptable Pet Appreciation Week.

I’m A.J. from I Still Want More Puppies – I blog about pup culture, pop culture and anything else that strikes my fancy.  My motto?  Puppies = serenity now.   The title of my blog declares that I want more puppies. However, I’m here to make a confession. I like adopting adult dogs.  (Thanks to Sharon & Cleo for letting me get this off my chest.  Whew!)  

I should clarify – all dogs are puppies to me, but when it comes to adoption, I’m not drawn to the young whippersnappers. In fact, Bella was past puppyhood when I adopted her. We think she was at least one (perhaps one and a half), and she’d already had puppies. (I know… puppies having puppies. It’s like the dog version of 16 and Pregnant.) Some crazy person kept the puppies and dropped Bella off at the pound. (By “crazy person,” I mean “idiot.”  Bella’s awesome.)

Anyway, when I peruse Petfinder, I limit my search to adult pups. When the time is right to add more furry friends to our house, I guarantee we’ll be adding a dog that’s no longer in the puppy stage. Why?  Well, it just so happens I’ve put together a list of my top 10 reasons…   

The Return of Hadley: Dealing with feelings of failure

This is a new guest post from Elisa Leyva-Guerrero about pet fostering and pet adoption. Read her very first story "Nolan Teaches us about Faith"

My last foster Hadley was quite the looker (she was my Cleo look alike!), on top of that she was a sweet dog. The leader of St. Louis Senior Dog Project had gotten her out of a local county animal control and everyone in the group loved her. She was thought to be around 5-6 years old at the animal control facility however with her spunkiness and high energy she was most likely around 2-3 years old.

I have never seen a dog that could run so fast for so long and still have energy. When we would take Hadley  to the dog park she would out run each and every time a large standard size poodle that was a very good runner, my two own dogs could not keep up with her at all. Yes, I was in love with Hadley, she was not without a fault mind you, she was not the perfect little lady and she would benefit from some basic training. She wasn’t destructive but as many a stray dog she would reverse to her past life and go through the trash. She did have a lot of energy and was a little too much for my dachshund Moxie,  but she was the sweetest thing and a great dog that would make a wonderful pet.

Animal Hoarding Part 3: The Aftermath

Guest post written by Maggie Marton - This is the third part in a three-part series on animal hoarding. Read part one and part two. 

When the first vanload of dogs arrived at the temporary shelter, the volunteers sprang into action. We had spent the morning setting up and arranging crates, organizing intake and vet paperwork, and preparing for the day ahead.

It was stifling outside, a sticky, humid Indiana day. As soon as the dogs arrived, the crates were ferried from the van to the shelter so that none of the small dogs, who looked like min-pin mixes, suffered even more in the heat. Each dog was processed quickly: they received a number, a collar, and a crate. Their ages and breeds were estimated. Then they waited.

The second batch of dogs came in, and all but one flew through the same process. One dog was terrified. When her crate was brought in, she huddled in the corner with her back turned. Of the 13 dogs, she was the only who turned her back on the volunteers. She trembled in her crate. Unable to safely remove her, we waited for the animal control officer.

Animal Hoarding Part 2: The Rescue

Guest post written by Maggie Marton - part two of three, in a series on animal hoarding.

Last July, nearly 70 dogs were pulled from a trailer in Greene County, IN. The owners claimed that they planned to open a rescue but got overwhelmed – a common claim among animal hoarders. The dogs were in poor health with bacterial infections, fleas, and worms, and days-old puppies suffered from heat stroke.

Volunteers from the Monroe County Humane Association (MCHA), led by CEO Sarah Hayes, removed the dogs from the trailer, provided vetting in a temporary shelter, and then helped the dogs find permanent shelters. In the end, after some of the dogs gave birth, 80 dogs were rescued from the hoarders and nine more were left with the women.

Animal Hoarding Part 1: What is it?

Guest Post written by Maggie Marton - part one of three, in a series on animal hoarding.

Yesterday, A&E began the fourth season of their hit show Hoarders. In each 60-minute episode, the reality show explores the lives of two hoarders and attempts to help them clean up their homes. Hoarding is a disease characterized by the compulsion to collect and fail to throw away things. Those “things” are unique to the hoarder: some hoard trash, newspapers, dolls, stickers, memorabilia, clothing, you name it.

Others hoard animals.

In fact, almost 250,000 animals are hoarding victims every year, according to The Humane Society of the United States.

Though animal hoarding is often attributed to collecting cats – spawning the “crazy cat lady” stereotype – animal hoards include all types of animals. In one episode of Hoarders, for example, a gentleman hoarded more than 2,000 rats.

In many cases, the hoarder believes they’re helping the animals, when in reality the animals suffer from neglect. Most animal hoarders don’t provide adequate food, veterinary care, or sanitary conditions. “Animal hoarders typically have more animals than they can adequately care for while denying this inability, often despite obvious signs of animal neglect, suffering, and often death,” said Sarah Hayes, CEO of the Monroe County Humane Association, an organization that has assisted on numerous hoarding rescues.

Simply put, animal hoarding is animal abuse. 

Sadly, animal hoarding is a tremedously difficult animal welfare issue to tackle, in part because of the isolation and durress in which hoarders live, and in part because of the prohibitive amount of time, expense, and personnell required to aid an animal hoarder.

“Many communities have few resources to address hoarding, including a complete lack of animal control or an animal shelter,” said Hayes. “This creates an even more difficult circumstance for law enforcement or other animal welfare agencies to intervene before it reaches the level of animal cruelty or becomes a public health risk.”

Hoarding behavior isn’t understood clearly, either. Though it’s considered an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), research shows that the medication used to treat OCD isn’t effective in treating hoarding. Further, the illness prevents the hoarder from actually seeing the implications of their hoard. They often deny that they can’t care for the animals, even when faced with dead animals located within their home. Their disease prevents them from being able to see, smell, and grasp the condition of their home and their animals. 

As Hayes explained, "Animal hoarding is a multifaceted issue encompassing mental and public health, as well as the health and safety of the animals being hoarded and the hoarder themselves."

The reality is, animal hoarding doesn’t have a simple fix. Often, the fixes are simply patches – helping the animals in desperate need without helping (or even being able to help) the hoarder.

Tomorrow, in part two of this three-part look at animal hoarding, I’ll share my personal experience with a recent rescue of dogs from a local hoarder. 

Image: Monroe County Humane Association

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Maggie Marton is a freelance writer, editor, and grammar junkie. She lives in Bloomington, IN with her husband and two darling dogs.

Visit her online at www.maggiemarton.com or ohmydogblog.com.

#SeniorDogs Rock! Fundraiser & Twitter Pawty

This is a new guest post from Elisa Leyva-Guerrero about pet fostering and pet adoption. Read her very first story "Nolan Teaches us about Faith"

I started tweeting for the rescue I volunteer for the St. Louis Senior Dog Project last year. I have met great people on Twitter and have learned more about how to use this great resource to help our rescue. A great Twitter friend @MaggieTKat first introduced me to tweetups and fundraising parties (or pawtys) on twitter.

Along with @MaggieTKat, our little rescue is embarking on uncharted territory for us but one that we are so eager to try out: A fundraiser that will take place not only in person but online as well! On June 11 our SENIOR DOGS ROCK fundraiser will take place, and you can join us online or in person.

You can join in the fun on Twitter by connecting with us @STLSeniorDog and our friend @MaggieTKat who will be leading the pawty online. My dachshund @MoxieDaDoxie will be in attendance as well so you can follow him too.

If you have never attended a virtual pawty this is the time! There will be online quizzes with prizes, virtual DJ’s and virtual bands. On June 11 make sure you follow the hashtag #seniordogs so you don’t miss out on anything.

We found a great venue for those being able to join us in person, a Noodles and Company restaurant in Des Peres, MO. They will donate 25% of the proceeds from consumed items on their store on Saturday June 11 from 11am to 7pm. I am so incredibly grateful to the managers of this restaurant.

First-Person Essay: Healing Joe

We have had enough behavioral and allergy issues with Cleo to be very empathetic to the unique needs of all dogs. We know many people who advocate raw food diets and all natural products for their dogs. With Cleo we read the labels closely on all her food as well as her shampoos.

Because she gets hot spots so easily, we are known for giving her the once over like an airport TSA agent. Lucky for us, she likes our subtle pat downs because she gets a massage out of it too. What I'm trying to say is that we love our dog and do our best to make sure we cover all our bases when it comes to her care.

Today we have a first-person essay about how the holistic, treat-the-whole-dog approach applied to their beloved Boston Terrier, inspired a mother and daughter.

This is a guest post by Mary Louise Shenk, Co-Founder of M&J Dog Essentials. She shares how one small dog, changed the course of their life, for the good.

The origin of my firm belief in the healing benefits of flower essences began with our Boston Terrier Joe (the ‘J’ in M&J). 

It thankfully wasn’t long before I realized the connection between the many scars Joe carried from his past, his sensitivity and his neurotic behavior and seizures. 

I had read about flower essences and was curious to see if Joe could possibly benefit from them. The effect flower essences have on the human system is subtle but extremely effective. A dog’s sensitivities can be just as subtle but just as powerful- our canine friends all too readily pick up on our worries, fears, and our happiness too (come home in an excited state and see how quickly your dog gets excited too).  So I began applying Bach’s Rescue Remedy.