Hey Bay Area dog lovers!! It’s that time of year again…time to #cleartheshelters! Local shelters nationwide are offering free adoptions this weekend, July 23-24 thanks to NBC and Telemundo.

 

A photo posted by grouchypuppy (@grouchypuppy) on Jul 20, 2016 at 10:39am PDT

Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, as a participating shelter will be waiving fees all weekend for qualified adopters. Come down to 255 Alabama on Rescue Row, 10:00AM to 4:00pm!

The San Francisco SPCA is throwing a street fair on Rescue Row with games straight from the midway, delectable sweet treats, vegetarian nibbles, oodles of fuzzy new friends to take home with you, and the return of the notoriously creative dog costume contest!

This is a contest of Olympic proportions, so get your glue gun fired up and strut your dog’s stuff on the runway at 1pm. At stake, bragging rights and prizes from NBC.

Last year it was the SF/SPCA's most successful adoption weekend ever, finding forever homes for 111 animals! All animals adopted from the SF/SPCA will go home with their new families for free. *

Events on Rescue Row:
1pm Saturday Only
Dog costume contest (Registration 10:30am-12:30pm)

All Day Saturday and Sunday
FREE adoptions at SF SPCA Mission and Pacific Heights Campuses
Big Jenga!
Colossal Connect Four!
Crowd-art watercolor wall
Midway games
Selfie station
Bouncy obstacle course
And more!

*SF residents will be required to pay SF dog license fee.

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Having a senior dog in your life is the best. Mine helped me focus on the important things and to forget about the nonsense, the noisy distractions. Thanks to my dog, I found myself caring more about her wellbeing than any reality show on television. I spent more time searching for savory recipes to make her special dog treats with. She made the distracting noises from our busy city streets fade into the background.

She isn't physically with me now, during this disturbing presidential election season, but guess what? I found a calming environment at Muttville Senior Dog Rescue. These oldsters are exactly the right balance to the outlandish behavior on television and online.

Being with my older dog brought calm, and the rotating crew in the doggy are doing an amazing job at pinch-hitting for her! All I have to do is pop my head over one of the half-doors and say, "Good morning puppies! How did you sleep? Who wants to go for a walk before breakfast?"

The roles dogs play in our lives continues to grow and evolve. Millions of dogs are simple companions and best friends, while thousands serve as guide dogs, therapy dogs, and guard dogs. Their jobs often change over time, but one constant force they retain is their unique ability to positively influence us.

I have experienced the benefits from having dogs in my life at all ages. As a young girl, I felt a kinship with our family dogs. They were easy to understand, and seemed to understand me too. In all honesty, I felt closer to them emotionally than my own human siblings.

I especially remember spending quiet afternoons with Scooter, the patriarch of our crew of dogs. He taught me a lot about being still, and the power of empathy. That is one reason why when I volunteer at Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, I love seeing the influence of the older dogs on visiting children.

"You don't seem like a Muttville dog, you are like a little puppy," she whispered.

A wonderful role these older dogs play is that of wise teachers. They are helping us raise compassionate children, often by just being themselves. The kids are learning empathy from their exposure to the world from the eyes of an aging dog.

Many city kids can't have pets. Their time spent quietly petting, or taking care of the senior dogs at Muttville allows them to experience the effect of caring for an elderly parent or grandparent. These dogs helps them see what it means to care about a live animal, rather than a stuffed one.

I've witnessed many moments, like the one above, when a young child reaches out selflessly to give one the senior dogs some gentle affection and appreciation for sharing their time. These dogs in the doggy loft are not caged so they are free to walk away from anyone, even a sweet little girl.

What is so wonderful being around these older dogs is their willingness to open up to the sounds of love.

They don't hold grudges for the turn in their life that caused them to end up at Muttville. Instead, they seem to grab the opportunity to show all of us how to let go, savor the little moments, and enjoy a quiet cuddle.

If you give them a chance, every older dog will give you their all. They are professionals at showing people of all ages what's so special about having an animal companion, and why senior dogs rule. 

Does your community have a program where young kids can experience what it means to care for and about older dogs? How about older pets in general? 

Our dog saved us from being murdered by 40 mail carriers, 16 UPS drivers, and because we live in San Francisco, add 4 solar panel salesmen, 2 possum, and 1 raccoon...guess we should be more grateful. 

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