Adopting a Senior Dog

Those of us that love and care for senior dogs know that once you have one senior pooch, it can be hard to say no to another… and another! Helen St. Pierre is a certified behavior consultant and trainer. In this webinar, Helen talks about the joys and challenges of multi-dog households that include senior dogs, and how to navigate the different personalities, temperaments, and challenges that go along with this labor of love.

Life with a senior dog is different than one with a puppy, but that doesn’t mean our hearts aren’t just as full. Older dogs are every bit as capable of bonding and providing unconditional love as younger pups. Read on for a few ways to bond with your dog that are suitable for senior dogs regardless of their energy level.

This has been an incredibly tough year, but the increased number of people fostering and adopting shelter dogs has been a silver lining. If you’re thinking about adding a furry friend to your family, please consider adopting a senior shelter dog. Grey Muzzle’s Executive Director, Dr. Lisa Lunghofer, answers some common questions.

What suggestions do you have for people who are considering adopting a shelter dog, particularly a senior dog?

Adopting a special-needs animal is a noble act of compassion like no other, but understandably, it’s not for everyone. Taking care of a nondisabled pet is a journey enough. Adopting pets with special needs requires your utmost patience and willingness to give them a loving home despite the challenges that come with it.

While you may want to introduce a new puppy to your home, it’s important you know the costs associated with taking care of your new canine friends. After all, you can’t take care of them on hugs, kisses and other kinds of attention. 

Senior dogs are AWESOME. They’re calm, mellow, sweet, loveable, and they’re usually already house-trained. All of these traits make them so much easier than puppies — and yet, as wonderful as animals over the age of 7 are, they often represent the highest-risk population at shelters across the United States, where nearly 3 million dogs and cats are put down each year.

If you’re thinking about adding a new canine to your household, imagine adopting an older dog instead of a puppy. Although it seems like an unlikely choice, think again. There are so many reasons to consider adopting or even fostering an older dog compared to a younger pup.

Despite all the best efforts of most shelters, senior dogs are frequently overlooked in favor of younger animals. However, older dogs are often best suited for a happy household and a lasting marriage of dog and family. This article explains some of the wonderful attributes of older dog.

Adopters of senior dogs find them to be more mellow, better mannered, and quicker to adjust to their new homes than younger dogs. Whether you have been considering adopting a senior dog for a long time or were just recently touched by the story of an older dog in need, your new grey-muzzled best friend may be a hop, skip, and a few clicks away.

Our most beloved dogs often come into our lives unexpectedly—a chance viewing of a photo on social media or an appeal to care for a dog in need. That is what happened to Mary and her daughter Chandra when they heard about the plight of a Labrador named Walter.