Bobbie blogs about dogs as she lives with mostly hounds. While no longer rescuing, she maintains Silverwalk Hounds Sanctuary for the remaining Sanctuary dogs as well as occasional fosters. She enjoys talking about dogs, including rescue, fostering and adoption.

Good News

Posted Monday, May 4, 2009, at 2:04 PM

A week ago today, Silverwalk Hounds was featured in Mary-Ann Maloney's "Bright Side" series: The Beagles of Silverwalk on KFVS-12. I enjoy watching each segment, "meeting" others involved in community. We all need to hear good news these days. Another favorite feature of mine in the Southeast Missourian is the volunteer focus in Sunday's paper - I make sure to read it each week. It helps to know we are helping each other - it is the best way to live! And now another voice. I promised when I started this blog to share differing voices involved in animal welfare. The guest blogger this week is Stacy Busch, owner of Busch Pet Products and a friend to Silverwalk. Hopefully, you know by now I am a champion of older dogs, so I especially appreciated Stacy's blog, which is part of of the "National Canine Cancer Foundation Blog" a website dedicated to canine cancer research.

DO YOU RECYCLE?

Did you ever think of adopting a senior dog as a form of recycling? It sure is, and it can help everyone involved! If you bring a senior dog into your life through adoption, you help shelters by cutting down on the senior dog population that will, in many cases, be euthanized more quickly than younger dogs or puppies.. You help a senior dog get a new lease on life. Best of all, you get a loving and grateful companion.

So why do so many people pick puppies? Puppies are cute, no matter what breed or size or color, and in most cases they get adopted quickly and easily. Puppies are cute for a reason, so we put up with their antics and lack of brains until they become complete dogs. Why not get the full package immediately?

Often, people are afraid to adopt an older dog because of the cost. People assume that an older dog will automatically have health problems that will have to be dealt with by a vet and that means money out of pocket. In reality, when you adopt a young puppy, you are putting money out for him or her as well. There are shots, shots again, spaying and neutering, and yearly checkups. Let's not forget the ruined shoes, gallons of pet stain remover, and new furniture.

Another deterrent in adopting a senior dog is the dog's history. The fear of the unknown, it could be called. No one wants to find out that the dog they adopted endured physical or mental abuse and now snaps at and cowers from tall men or women with glasses, or who knows what. Granted, dogs can't tell you what their stories are, but nothing is insurmountable. Patience, training, and plain old-fashioned love can take care of lots of issues with dogs. Plus, no one can assure you of your new puppy's future either...unfortunately.

There are major benefits to adopting older dogs.

Older dogs tend to have calmer temperaments than their younger counterparts. Let's face it, puppies are like kids....they have boundless amount of energy and go from 0 to 100 in mere seconds. If you aren't up to the challenge of a young dog, then an older dog is definitely for you! While older dogs still need exercise, they love a long nap and a good chin scratch.

With an older dog, what you see is what you get. There are occasions when puppies grow up to look nothing like what anyone thought they were supposed to look like. A puppy that looks like it's going to stay small may grow up to be over 100 pounds! With a senior dog, you already know what you've got.

Many older dogs have already lived in a house environment and are housebroken. What a bonus...no housebreaking! That also means no chewed up shoes, furniture or other important things. Older dogs are long past the teething stage.

Senior dogs will let you get a good night's sleep. Older dogs settle into a routine easily, and that includes bathroom visits and bedtimes. They are accustomed to human schedules and don't need feeding, comforting, or potty breaks at 2 a.m. Their bladders are bigger too!

Older dogs listen better (hopefully) and mind better. Older dogs are more mellow and learn more easily. If they've had any kind of human interaction, that means they have had some training, whether it be on purpose or even by accident. Older dogs just "get it.."

So why not give a senior dog a great home for the twilight years of his life? You will reap much more than you sow in love, gratitude and better health than you can imagine. Your time with your senior dog may be shorter than with a puppy, but in many instances you have given an older dog a second chance at a loving, happy family and home. Adopting a senior dog truly is the purest form of recycling!
"Old dogs, like old shoes, are comfortable - they may be a bit out of shape and worn around the edges, but they fit so well." --Bonnie Wilcox, "Old Dogs, Old Friends"

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Very well said, Bonnie. Seniors are the best!!

Our experience is:

housetrained in two days

fully trained on house rules in one week

integrated into an 8 dog pack in two weeks

And the best thing is, they've got a lick of common sense lol Which is something the pups surely lack.

If you want a dog that will just step up and be a family member quickly,

A senior is the way to go!!

And I'll admit it, I use to be one of those folks that avoided seniors as I thought we wouldn't get the relationship we would with a pup. Or, how will I teach an older dog to get along with my dogs.

I now refer to those as wivestales 'cause I've learned it isn't true. You CAN teach an old dog new tricks and it's a whole lot easier than I thought it would be. And you will grow a bond that's just as special as if you'd gotten the dog as a pup.

We got tossed into taking our first senior. I liked it soo much and the relationship was soo special that we don't even consider a pup/youngster anymore.

Just take me to the seniors dogs, please.

That's my testament to the senior dog. Magic converted me :) Who's a good boy?!

-- Posted by colliemom on Mon, May 4, 2009, at 11:55 PM
I stand behind you 100% on the importance of considering a senior dog when adopting. You provide a very good list of reasons for adopting a senior dog, and there are still more reasons that aren't listed here. However, I do feel you could have sang the praises of adopting an older dog without comparing it to adopting a puppy the way you did. I'm sure it was unintentional, but you really made adopting a puppy sound like a nightmare! I wouldn't want anyone to be discouraged from adopting a dog of ANY age, as they all need and deserve good, loving homes.

-- Posted by MusicMaker on Tue, May 5, 2009, at 4:52 PM
Musicmaker- It can be a nightmare and I've got the scars to prove it lol Oh, my, they can be so jumpy. And a collie puppy can jump higher than I am tall! Ouch! lol Training is EVERYTHING.

I think the reason that's the focus is because 99.9% of adopters are looking for pups. Once in a while, I can talk them into a 2 year old (which is still VERY much a pup for a collie), but after 5 or 6, it's very iffy.

I do see your point. We don't want to discourage folks from adopting, but do want to be honest with them about what they are getting into with different dogs. It's important to choose a pet that suits your lifestyle, so it's a happy match for new parents and furkid.

I think we could all agree that we do need to make folks aware that pups are alot more work than a senior, so probably not a bad idea to point that out.

Pups are like having an infant, except it's harder to find a babysitter for a pup :)

Pups are so darned cute with those baby faces. I try to tell everyone in those teenage puppy years (1 1/2yrs thru 3) that the BEST thing about puppies is ....

They eventually turn into dogs :)

maybe next blog post, Bonnie will take on puppy training. I think that would be great!

-- Posted by colliemom on Tue, May 5, 2009, at 8:39 PM
Colliemom, I feel your puppy pain as well. I'm a Boxer mom myself, so I definitely know about the jumping (and scratching-Boxers sometimes take their name so literally). I didn't mean to be critical of the post, only to point out that none of us want to say that adopting a puppy is a BAD idea, but say instead that considering a senior dog is a GOOD idea. As you said, pups are like having an infant-I don't know a single parent of either that doesn't look back on those early years and say 'It was worth it!'

-- Posted by MusicMaker on Wed, May 6, 2009, at 4:28 PM
musicmaker, I know you weren't being critical and you do have a very good point!

Sorry if I didn't put my thought together well in that post.

Boxers are so cute!! I got such a kick out of the one on The Greatest American Dog (or whatever the name of that show was). Boxer won. It just cracked me up everytime his dad told him to 'get the bed' and that dog would beat the tar out of his doggy pillow.

So funny! and what a pretty boy.

-- Posted by colliemom on Wed, May 6, 2009, at 5:34 PM
What a wonderful exchange of thought. I do indeed lean in favor of adult and senior dogs. They often are so overlooked in being adopted (believe me, I know - they are at my home!). Puppies are adorable, which they need to be to survive their antics and more as they are learning to become companion dogs. Colliemom, your consistent feedback is enjoyable. You must be an awesome groomer :). I have never owned a Boxer, but understand they come by that name by the way they play as pups - correct?

-- Posted by silverwalk on Thu, May 7, 2009, at 3:45 PM
Silver- I've become quite the little groomer :) We use to take them to the groomer, but when we got to 7 (it's 100 a whack for these fluffy guys, 35 for the sheltie) I just had to bite the bullet and learn. I get lots of practice, we only have 5 collies currently. Then a malinois mix, a sheltie, and an I don't know, but she's really really sweet lol

I don't know anything about Boxers, I'm a herding mama. Maybe musicmaker can fill us in?

All I know is, any time I've met or seen one, they really impressed me. Smart little boogers.

Collies always remind me of that one cartoon with the buzzard who's bringing home a baby bumble bee lol They are so silly, it's like the world was made so they would have a giant playground.

Oh, there are always Kodak moments coming, but it takes about 5 years for them to grow up and act like they've got some sense lol

-- Posted by colliemom on Fri, May 8, 2009, at 2:08 AM
I appreciate all the dialogue that my blog has brought about! That's what Perspective on Pets is all about! I did not intentionally try to deter people from adopting puppies...I'm in favor of any legitimate adoption that means a permanent home for a deserving animal.

But, I feel strongly about the fact that people in today's society look at senior dogs as disposable...much the way they look at their human counterparts. What has our world come to?

Too many times puppies have been adopted, only to be returned because they don't behave. What? Of course they don't behave! They are puppies and don't know how to behave. People don't understand/don't care that a young animal must be not only trained but nurtured and only then will a well-behaved four-legged member of the family come to be.

A senior dog has passed that puppy stage and can make an excellent companion for someone that can't/won't/doesn't know how to work with a young dog.

I still highly recommend senior dogs, as well as puppies, and I encourage families with the time, money and patience to adopt a puppy or younger dog.

When you adopt, you save a life. Plain and simple!

-- Posted by buschpetproducts on Mon, May 11, 2009, at 7:49 PM

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