I don't know why but I am profoundly touched by senior dogs, and the people who foster and adopt them. This is why I am sharing a series of guest posts from Karl and Jessica Schneider. They regularly share their stories and photos on the Grouchy Puppy Facebook wall. I had wanted to have one or two of their dogs be a featured reader of the monthly newsletter, but then Karl sent me the most wonderful story of their journey into the world of senior dog adoption.

It is a long story featuring many dogs, and perfect for anyone interested in fostering or adopting a senior dog. They joyfully demonstrate the positive influence of a dog many times over.

Their story is long with each dog playing a meaningful role, thus I chose to spread their stories into a 3-part series. Their story begins with Tara, and follows with Bobo and Jameson. I hope their story resonates with you, as it has with me, and look forward to your comments.

Our Senior Dog Journey "Bobo and Jameson"

by Karl and Jessica Schneider

Jameson was about 10 years old, and had been at animal control for 7 days. His time was up. Fortunately, someone that worked there took a shine to him and brought him home.  We scheduled a meet and greet, this time at the foster Mom’s home. As before, we had two dogs who didn’t immediately take a shine to each other, but Jameson definitely took a shine to me. 

We told the foster mom that we would take him home right away. She was surprised, but could see the conviction on our faces. Jameson fit right in.  They quickly became our “Grumpy Old Men”.  It was like they had been together their entire lives.  Jameson helped Bobo, and us, to move on from the loss of Tara.

They would antagonize each other, but there was never a cross word between them. One of our favorite stories is of the time that Jameson was laying on Bobo’s blanket in Bobo’s spot.  He was very particular about his blanket and his spot. Bobo walked up to him and stood over him as we watched.  Not a sound was made, but we’ve always envisioned the dialogue going like this:

Bobo: Jameson, you’re in my spot.

Jameson: So what, I was here first, go lay somewhere else.

Bobo:  That’s my spot, why don’t you go lay somewhere else.

Jameson:  I’m not moving.

Bobo:  I’ll sit on you.

Jameson: No you won’t.

Bobo: I’ll sit on you.

Jameson: No you won’t.

Bobo:  Yes I will.  (at this point Bobo has begun to turn his body to position himself to sit on Jameson)

Jameson:  Don’t do it.

And then he sat on him.  It was one of the funniest things we had ever seen.  There was never a growl or a bark.  We have so many great Bobo and Jameson stories that I could go on forever.

Jameson was just an amazing dog.

Jewels is quite the gem!

She’s adorable, sweet, easy going and a total cuddle bug. What’s not to love?

Jewels loves to lay by your feet or in your lap, listening to your day and getting lots of scratches behind ears.

She has the cutest little howl when letting you know she’s hungry, wanting some love and when she’s ready for a walk.

Better hurry on down to meet here, we have a feeling Jewels is going to get adopted in a heartbeat!

We think Jewels is between 9-11 years young, weighing about 10 lbs.

Meet her at Muttville on Rescue Row in San Francisco.

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Maybe it's because I'm old. Maybe it's my wonderful memories of my own old dog. I don't know why but I am profoundly touched by senior dogs, and the people who foster and adopt them. This is why I am sharing a series of guest posts from Karl and Jessica Schneider.

They regularly share their stories and photos on the Grouchy Puppy Facebook wall. I had wanted to have one or two of their dogs be a featured reader of the monthly newsletter, but then Karl sent me the most wonderful story of their journey into the world of senior dog adoption. It is a long story featuring many dogs. It is perfect for anyone interested in fostering or adopting a senior dog.

It joyfully demonstrates the positive influence of a dog many times over. Their story is long with each dog playing a meaningful role, thus I chose to spread their stories into a 3-part series. I hope you enjoy each post, and look forward to your comments.

Our Senior Dog Journey: It began with Tara

by Karl and Jessica Schneider

Our story begins like many good ones do.  We never set out to adopt senior dogs, but shortly after Jessie’s mother passed away, her chocolate lab, Tara, came to live with us.  She was 8 years old at the time, and was the most amazing dog you could ask for. She was our first. 

Tara was an only dog with us for almost 7 years.  She really enjoyed being an “only” dog and to be honest, didn’t really get along that great with other dogs.  We were just fine as a one dog family, and didn’t really have any plans to get any more.  That was until one year when she was almost 14 and our neighbors asked us if we could dog-sit for their dog, Lilly, while they went on vacation for a week. 

Tara had gotten mellower in her senior years so we said yes with some trepidation. We were surprised at how well they got along and even played together.  It wasn’t long after that experience we started looking for a companion for Tara. 

We didn’t have a lot of guidelines.  We just knew it should be an older dog, and not a younger more active one.  Tara enjoyed her nap time and quiet time, and we didn’t want to take that away from her.  One day while I was out of town for work, Jessie texted me a picture of a dog (Bobo) that was featured in our local newspaper.  He was a 12 year old chocolate lab boy, very close in size to Tara.  We called the rescue that was sponsoring him and set up a visit at our home.  I wouldn’t say that Tara and Bobo hit it off right away, but she also didn’t give us any signs that she didn’t like him either.  As his foster mom was telling us his story, and hers, we realized that he needed to stay with us right then.  I think his foster mom was a little surprised by our reaction and tried to talk us out of it, but we both knew that he needed to stay with us.

This is really where our senior dog rescue story begins. 

There are a lot of dogs, and bicycles in San Francisco. I've seen both on BART. When you live in a big urban city, using public transportation makes a lot of sense. You can travel a great distance fast and cheap, but you have to give up personal space and share the bus, train or trolley with others. 

I like this part. I enjoy experiencing the sights and sounds of it all, even when it makes me uncomfortable. It's real life. It's also temporary. When I read in the NY Times about dogs riding the subway in New York illegally, I thought about the dogs I've seen here on Muni.

"Aren't you the nice dog..." on the J Church, San Francisco, CA.

If the dog is well-behaved why should it be a problem?

Looking for a new constant companion? Manny might just be the one!

He’s the type of dog to stick right by your side through thick and thin.

Manny loves being your partner in everything that you do, from going for walks, laying by your feet while you work, to snuggling up on the couch.

A stray no longer, this handsome boy is ready to find his forever home!

We think Manny is between 7-9 years young, weighing about 10 lbs.

Fall in love with him at Muttville on Rescue Row in San Francisco!

Once upon a time man chose to create dog breeds that mostly served a purpose, such as hunting, herding and protecting. These dogs worked for the farmer and the aristocrat.

Industrialization and the increase of dogs as companions had people altering the features of dogs purely for looks. Form no longer followed function.

From Atlas Obscura, "Dalmatians most likely originated in Croatia, with the first discernible depictions dating to the early 17th century. (“Dalmatia” is a coastal region of Croatia.) Early uses of the dog varied; it seems the first Dalmatians were all-purpose dogs, sometimes used for hunting, sometimes for guard dogs, sometimes for companions.

Their use as firehouse dogs emerged in the 19th century in the U.S., where it was discovered that Dalmatians have a natural affinity with horses. Fire engines at the time were horse-drawn, and Dalmatians proved very capable of trotting alongside and in front of the engines to clear a path and find the way to a fire."

Today our relationship with dogs continues its evolution. Now it seems we have more blended dogs than pure bred, and many more countries and societies seeing dogs as members of the family. We also have an incredible increase in the use of dogs as service animals. 

I hope these trends continues. Sure, certain dog breeds will still be used primarily for singular jobs, but I like that we are seeing a wider embrace of all dogs.

If we continue to focus more on our unique relationship and bond with dogs and less on manipulating a dog's genetics, then we reflect a humaneness that shows our own positive evolution.

Read more about the other dog breeds here

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