Senior Dogs

While doing some research for my Ten Most Wanted project, I discovered another blog written by another St. Louis area dog foster mom.  It's written by the President of St. Louis Senior Dog Project, a rescue group who mostly focuses on rescuing and adopting out senior dogs.  You can check it out here.  I'm also putting a link to it in the Links to Related Websites section so you can easily find it in the future. 

I like senior dogs - they're a nice rest from the young dogs I usually foster.  The majority of dogs in shelters seem to be around 1 to 2 years of age.  That's the age that families start getting tired of the puppy they got from a friend a few years ago who's grown up now.  The age when the dogs who weren't trained as puppies start becoming problems - the little puppy who liked to jump up and mouth on your fingers was adorable, but the same thing at 50 or 60 pounds just isn't so cute anymore.  Instead of taking the time to work with the dog, people are more likely to develop sudden allergies or find some other reason to dump the dog at a shelter.  So the majority of the dogs I've fostered have been younger.  But there are plenty of senior dogs out there needing homes also, and it's great to have a rescue focus mostly on them.  These are the pets who are more likely to already be housetrained, and don't want to chew up every piece of furniture in your house.  They sleep more and run full-speed around the house less.  Just the thought of it makes me smile.

 

I have only fostered two senior dogs.  One was Benny, a bloodhound mix who we all expected to take awhile to find a home.  He was adopted within a week of me taking him home.  The other is Neo, a purebred Neapolitan Mastiff.  Due to his purebred status and being such a rare breed, he had adoption offers pouring in within days of being put on the web.  He has a family coming from Tennessee to meet him tonight, so hopefully I will be reporting his adoption later this weekend!  So basically my time with these easygoing, calm, sweet senior dogs has been very short.  I'm looking forward to my next senior dog foster. 

All of the pictures of dogs in this post are senior pets currently waiting to be adopted.  The schnauzer at the top is named Shelly and she's from the St. Louis Senior Dog Project.  The Australian Shepherd mix is Cosmo, from Heartland Humane Society.   The white Pointer mix is Maggie, from Tender Care Adoptions.  And to the left is Casey, from All Paws Rescue. 

I love the fact that I can talk about any pet I want on here. I'm no longer linked to any particular rescue group's website, so I have a lot more freedom to support other pets and other rescue groups.  As a new volunteer for All Paws, I was initially concerned that they would ask me not to write about other groups.  But I'm pleased that they've been nothing but supportive of other groups, by word and example.  They're referred adopters to other groups when they didn't have the type of pet the adopter was looking for.  They've also encouraged me to save dogs from anywhere, not just one particular shelter or pound.  They are a great example of what we can all accomplish if we just work together.  So Thank You, All Paws Rescue!  And if you're looking for a rescue to donate to or volunteer with, I highly recommend them. Of course I highly recommend you adopt from them too.  In fact, I highly recommend you adopt from me personally - especially if you're in the market for a cute orange tabby kitten, or a sweet tortoiseshell cat who despises dogs, or a beautiful black cat who answers to Artie.  Or if you want a puppy - I'm pretty sure I know where you can get one or two... or nine.