6 Reasons to Adopt an Older Dog

Older Dog Looking for Home

Hello to my possible new owner.

I am not a puppy. I am a 7-year-old Dachshund looking for a loving home where I can be a loyal companion to someone who wants to:

1. Have a companion to keep from feeling lonely. I’ll always be here waiting for you to come home and I will always be willing to listen attentively to all your problems and concerns. I’ll happily lick your face and hang on your every word to me!
2. Keep fit by taking you for a walk or playing a game a fetch. You see, I don’t have as much energy as a puppy so I don’t require as much exercise making me lower maintenance than a puppy but I’ll be happy to go for a couple of walks around the block every day.
3. Adopt a dog that’s already house trained. No accidents here! I’ve already been trained. Just be patient the first couple of days that you bring me home and show me where I’m allowed to do my business and we will get along fine.In fact, I already know what “NO” means!
4. If you’re laid back like me we will get along great because I don’t require near as much attention as a puppy does. I am quite content to settle in my favorite spot on the couch and cuddle with you!
5. Help lower your stress levels. That’s right! It’s a proven fact that pets help you relax. Pet owners tend to have lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure and improved survival rates after a cardiovascular event.
6. Adopt a dog who has already been spayed and neutered. I’ve already had that done so that’s one expense gone. In fact, I’m very healthy and I’ve already had all those required puppy vaccines. All I require is a yearly check-up and yearly vaccines and a loving home that I can call my forever home! 

Will you be the lucky one that gets to take me home to be your loving companion?

Fortunately for this awesome little Dachshund, he has already found his loving forever home. But wouldn’t it be great if all dogs could post a “Classified Advertisement” to help them find a loving forever home? Unfortunately, this is not the case and, the fact is that senior dogs are faced with the real possibility of being euthanized over their younger puppy counterparts at a lot of the local shelters. Therefore, if you decide to surrender your dog to a shelter, once the shelter accepts your dog you no longer have any say over what happens to your dog. It’s not like they are guaranteed to find another home. They only get a certain amount a time at a shelter, so before you drop your unwanted dog off at a shelter please consider re-homing your dog yourself. As a result, you will have an opportunity to help your dog find another loving home instead of limiting the time your dog has left at a shelter. 

Consequently, you may be wondering why older pets are surrendered. The top 4 reasons why older dogs are surrendered are:

1. Owner died or relocated. Their owner died and no one in their family could take the dog or they had to relocate and their new location wouldn’t allow dogs.
2. Lifestyle changes due to divorce, new baby, job loss or new partner.
3. Financial problems due to age related health problems that can make keeping the dog impossible for the current owner.
4. Just too much trouble for their humane and their humane just doesn’t have time for them anymore. 

Are you looking for Re-home a pet or trying to find the perfect pet for you! 

There is a good chance you will save the life of a loving dog by adopting a senior dog. Many shelters will help match you with the right dog for you. Some Rescue Shelters even offer foster to adopt scenarios where you can foster the dog for a period of time to see if the dog fits well with your life and family. If you already know what kind of dog you want there are  Breed Specific Rescues you can contact to look for your perfect pet. But if you need to re-home a pet the Petco Foundation supports Adopt-a-Pet to help you find a loving home for your loyal companion or there’s also Get Your Pet and Pet Finder to help you in your search for your perfect pet!