Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Friday Faves – meet some senior pups, and learn why older pups ROCK!

Happy Friday y’all!

Today I have a really specially Friday faves post to share with you.

Earlier this week I posted about one of the sweetest pups I’ve ever met – Miss Wendy! (Check her out here). She is looking for her forever home and would make some lucky person EXTREMELY happy!

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But today, I’m going to focus on a few other sweethearts that are not actually looking for homes, they’re just GLORIOUS senior pups that have come into HugABull and found themselves in Compassion Fosters for their golden years. Compassion foster is basically when the pup goes into a foster home and ends up staying due to age, health concerns or whatever other reasons that may make it trickier to put the pup up for adoption. 

OKAY. So lets meet our pups and then I’ll talk about some of the MANY benefits to opening your heart (and your home!) to an older pup.

Up first. Richie.

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This. Boy. Oh my goodness. I had the pleasure of meeting him and his wonderful foster mama Gillian earlier this week. What a sweet boy he is. These two seemed to be a match made in heaven. Gillian shared with me that she has Fibromyalgia and degenerative joint disease. When she found this out, she thought she would never be able to be a dog owner again (Since they tend to need a ton of activity!) Enter, Richie! This boy is 15 years old!!!!! And the vet said he’s got another couple years in him from what he can tell! He’s not in any pain, and is a super happy pup. But he can’t do a ton of activity. So he and Gillian enjoy their 15-20 min walks, and then settle in for a good cuddle. HOW CUTE!

Next up! Notch.

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This beautiful boy had a tough beginning to his life being tied up in a yard, having dogs come and go – some picking fights with him, leaving scars on his ginormous adorable head. However, it hasn’t tainted his will to cuddle or the size of his heart – he is SUCH a love bug. He does have some health issues due to his age (~9 years old) and some of the troubles he had when he was younger – but he is EXTREMELY happy an well loved in his foster home where he will stay for the rest of his days!

 

 

Lastly – GATOR!

"Gator's First Swim" gator-cone-300x225 "Gator's First Swim" "Gator's First Swim"

Would you just look at that face??? OMG! So… adorable thing about Gator. He has been with his foster mom for just over a year I believe. She took him in at 10 years old. He, like Notch, spent most of his life chained to a fence. But this breed is oh so forgiving, and anyone who has met Gator would NEVER know that is what the first years of his life were like. He’s a little love bug! 

Anyway, not long after his foster mom took him in, she took him to the vet because of a couple moles she found. Poor Gator was diagnosed with cancer and told he would have days, weeks, or months. Not too sure – but it likely wouldn’t be long. His foster mom created a bucket list for this sweet boy, of things that he would complete in the last little bit of his days. You can check it out here — Warning: you will need tissue. This post I’m referring to (the bucket list post!) was written over a year ago, and Gator is still with his foster mama completing as many things as possible off his list!

 

So… WHY RESCUE A SENIOR? 

Most seniors in the shelter/rescue system are AWESOME dogs.
– Most of them are there because a family situation changed, or sometimes because of a medical issue, but usually not because of a behavioural issue. After all, if they made it 8+ years in their first home(s), chances are they were a pretty good companion.
 
 
They have a really nice mellow energy, and a low energy level.
–  If you are not an active person, and long hikes or marathon ball sessions aren’t your jam, a senior is a great option
 
What you see is what you get.
– Their behaviour is pretty well ingrained (though you absolutely CAN teach an old dog new tricks). With younger dogs, and especially puppies, they go through different maturity stages and behaviours can crop up at different times in their first few years of life. With a dog that’s over 6, it’s pretty rare to see any significant changes to their behaviour.
 
They love and appreciate you more! 
– I am a firm believer that rescues KNOW you saved them, and they really do love and appreciate you for that. However, people I know who adopt seniors truly believe they love and appreciate you EVEN MORE more. These guys need a soft bed and a loving place to land just as much as the younger dogs, but they will be passed over in a kennel. When you are the special person who takes them home, they know they’ve lucked out, and they will make every moment worth it! 
 
A senior could also be a great “starter” dog for someone unsure about fostering or pet ownership.
– There might be more vet visits, but overall the dogs in the “geriatric ward” tend to be pretty easy and low-maintenance. No housetraining, no separation anxiety, no bouncing off the walls…but all of the personality and cuddles you could ever want.
 
Then of course, there are the reasons everyone would imagine:
Already house broken, already trained to walk on a leash, greet people, go into their crates to sleep etc
 
I KNOW one of the most common concerns with adopting a senior would be ‘it would just be too hard to get attached to a dog and lose him/her shortly after taking them in. I DO get this… but it’s not always true. I know people who have (super unfortunately) gotten a puppy and lost them in the same year. Alternatively, I know people who have rescued a senior told they wouldn’t have very long… and then they THRIVE in their new home and end up living a long time more. I mean – look at Richie!!! He’s 15!!!
 
PLEASE please please consider rescuing a senior. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a ‘senior senior’ that is 10 or 12 years old… but even a dog that isn’t a ‘puppy’ is going to have a harder time finding a home. And they have so much love to give.
 
Thanks for reading. And if you’ve got any questions about any of the pups I have posted about here (though they are not technically up for adoption) – please contact hugabull@gmail.com. Even if you just want them to know how cute they are — they love that stuff!!
 
HAPPY FRIDAY!
xxx
Andrea 

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