Why We Love Older Dogs and What’s so Wonderful About Senior Dog Adoption
Do you ever see yourself in a dog’s face? Does a dog’s adoption story ever resonate with you? I’ve noticed that the older I get the more I see myself and even my daily life in the life of older dogs.
When my own dog entered her golden years I saw my parents in her daily struggles, and aging process. She showed me a lot about what they were going through with their aches and pains, slower pace, greater need for naps, and dietary changes.
I swear both my parents and my old dog shared a love for snorting at me in disbelief when I would ask them something. (In my dog’s case, it was my asking her the rhetorical question, “do you want to go for a walk.”)
Whenever I highlight an adoptable senior dog across Grouchy Puppy (usually from our local, Muttville Senior Dog Rescue) I want to inspire others to give an older dog a chance at a loving, even adventurous, final chapter in their life.
Maybe because I see myself aging, and I recognize my own desire for compassion and empathy from others it is easier for me to be patient with the oldsters. I look into their face or watch them gingerly navigate the floor, and I think of treading carefully on the uneven sidewalk during my walk home.
Telling the world about the joy that senior dogs bring into our lives reminds us all that there are amazing creatures out there ready to love you, appreciate you and give you back all the compassion and joy you offer them.
Why Love Older Dogs? Why Adopt A Senior Dog?
Learning to accept that we all get old, if we’re lucky, and having companionship makes a difference — for both people and dogs.
November is Adopt a Senior Dog Month. Discover for yourself how older dogs can positively influence your life, and just how it feels to have one show you what fearlessly giving means.