Elderly Dog Adoption: Top 3 Reasons Why Middle-Aged or Older Dogs are a Great Choice

How Can You Say No?

Puppies and kittens…so many of us look to adopt the babies. But there are many times when adopting a middle-aged or elderly dog makes the most sense. October is Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month.

Let’s look at the Top 3 Reasons to adopt an older dog:

1) You’re a Senior – If you’re a senior citizen, love animals and miss or want the companionship of a dog, adopting a puppy may not be the wisest choice. They’re bursting with energy, need a lot of exercise, need to be trained extensively, walked often and they may outlive you. Choosing a middle-aged or elderly dog means they are already housebroken, they’ve settled down into life so they’re no longer bouncing off of the walls and they don’t need as many walks per day. And caring for a pet has been shown to make you happier and live longer!

2) You’re Disabled – If you don’t need the help of a Service Dog but you want a pet, an older dog could be a great idea. They won’t be running circles around you and their walking schedule is easier to manage. Their size is already determined so there’s no surprises when a puppy that’s supposed to grow to 15 lbs grows to 30. And this is my own opinion here, but I think an older dog understands instinctively to protect you and help you and be the kind of companion who makes your life a little easier.

3) You Want to Give an Older, Less Adoptable Dog a Second Chance – In my research about adopting elderly dogs, this reason comes up over and over.  While adopting a young or elderly pet can be a bit of a mixed bag, choosing the ones others might not is a real blessing. We’re not talking about dangerous dogs or untrainable dogs, of course, but with an estimated 6-8 million dogs and cats going into shelters each year, there is no shortage of great animals waiting for their forever homes. And in an older dog of maybe 6 or more, you have an animal who has developed wisdom, knows who he or she is, takes the time to enjoy life and is just looking for a safe, loving environment to enjoy the rest of it’s life.  Isn’t that what we’re looking for when we bring a new pet into our lives, our homes and our hearts?

Here are two middle-aged or elderly dogs I’ve highlighted this week. I hope you’ll consider looking into them more.

Lovely Misha

Misha is a sweet Italian Greyhound-Chihuahua mix who is between 10-12 years old and weighs 6 lbs. She loves dogs, cats and people, is housebroken and is as sweet as can be. She loves drives in the car and would prefer a home with another gentle dog as a companion. But, if you don’t have another dog, Misha would be very happy as your loving companion. She is very affectionate and loves sitting in your lap. Please give this little girl a second chance.

Sweet Tiny

Tiny was in Manhattan’s Animal Care and Control, set to be euthanized in July, when Petfinder rescued him and his companion, Dusty. Tiny is 16 lbs and, while it was first thought that he and Dusty would need to be adopted together, the dogs’ caregivers have discovered that both Tiny and Dusty enjoy each other’s company but love their human companions more. Tiny is a very sweet dog, friendly to strangers and children, easy to walk and housebroken. He is physically fit, very active and engaging. A lovely family dog or companion dog.

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