Senior Dog Rescues with Amazing Second Acts: My Old Dog Book Giveaway

The beautiful Sunny, who started it all

Gentle, kind, appreciative, calm…these are just some of the adjectives you might use to describe a senior dog. What you may not immediately think of is high risk. Senior dogs in shelters often represent the highest risk population, where nearly 4 million dogs and cats are euthanized each year. It’s very encouraging that, over the past few years, organizations like The Grey Muzzle Organization, authors, even Instagram dog stars like Marnie the Dog and Chloe Kardoggian are drawing more attention to the joys of adopting seniors. Today.com writer/editor/producer, Laura T. Coffey and Best Friends Animal Society staff photographer, Lori Fusaro, collaborated on one such book that really touched my heart. My Old Dog: Rescued Pets with Remarkable Second Acts is a soaring tribute to “sizzlin’ seniors,” as award-winning animal advocate, Jill Rappaport, likes to call them. The stories beautifully capture the deep bond between each dog and their human. George Clooney’s senior rescue, Einstein; Jeannie and Bruce Nordstrom’s many senior rescues; Instagram star senior, Marnie and Bretagne, the last known surviving 9/11 search dog from Ground Zero…these and more have rich tales shared here, highlighting the profound grace within the dogs and the humans they rescued, too. I loved this book so much, I asked Laura if Bark & Swagger could give one away to a follower, so read on for the details of how to enter!

What/Who inspired this book

Lori Fusaro, with Sunny and Gabby

After vowing never to adopt a senior, because she thought it would be too sad and painful, Lori adopted sixteen year old Sunny, and it altered her view completely, so much so, that she launched a photography project to show how much senior shelter pets have to offer. Coffey wrote a feature story on Lori, Sunny and the photography project for Today.com, the website of NBC’s Today show, and that led to them collaborating on this book of senior dog success stories. They traveled the U.S. for most of 2014 finding those stories. “We’ve seen firsthand that shelter dogs over the age of six or seven should not be considered damaged goods,” Laura declared. “Instead, they should be snatched up quickly because they’re probably pretty much perfect…It was so much fun getting to meet the coolest dogs and the best human beings EVER. Regardless of age or walk of life, every person we met said taking in an older homeless animal was one of the best things they’ve ever done. It’s incredibly rewarding to see a dog feeling so relieved and content.”

What’s so special about seniors?

Rocky

There’s a passage Laura shares in the book that I love. “Rescuers say the most grateful canines are older dogs from loud, disorienting shelters who receive get-out-of-jail cards. Often, within fifteen minutes of starting new lives in loving homes with soft beds, they fall asleep in that most vulnerable of dog positions: on their backs, bellies exposed, paws flopped contentedly in the air.”

“Senior dogs are awesome,” Laura exclaimed.  “They’re calm, mellow, sweet, loveable, and they’re usually already house-trained. All of these traits make them so much easier than puppies. Dogs in this ‘golden age’ — over the age of about 6 or 7 — often make ideal pets for people with busy lives or for people who simply want snuggly, tranquil companionship. Lori Fusaro added, “I’ve always been drawn to the underdogs — the animals who have special needs. My first cat only had one eye. Something about an animal that others might overlook has always made me want to love that animal. Old dogs are so overlooked and they have so many stigmas to overcome. It makes my heart ache and want to make sure they are loved.”

Me & India, 2003

For me, I’ve watched two of my dogs grow old, my Westie, Tigger and my German Shepherd, India. Each played such an important role in my life. Tigger came to college with me and was my wing man, drawing people in like dogs will do. He shared meeting my husband to be and the birth of our daughter. India and my daughter grew up together.  She helped me welcome our two cats, Isabel and Lola into our lives and experienced me meeting my current husband, who took the picture of us above. And, through it all, these dogs were such anchors; grounding presences that comforted me in the hardest of times, especially as they reached the twilight of their lives. Dogs know. They know when you need some extra loving, when something is wrong. Like with people, teens and twenty somethings are too self involved to have that innate sense they will hopefully develop as they age. Senior dogs, they’ve got it. Yes, most are house trained, they’re calmer and you know what you’re getting when you adopt a senior. But the love and the appreciation they show for saving them, for giving them their second chance…what could possibly be more powerful than that?

Lisa Lunghofer, Executive Director of The Grey Muzzle Organization, which improves the lives of at-risk senior dogs by providing funding and resources to animal shelters, rescue organizations, sanctuaries, and other non-profit groups nationwide, agreed that things are looking better for seniors. “I think senior dogs and the joys of adopting them have definitely been getting more attention over the past few years,” she said.  “We are also seeing a tremendous increase in the number of nonprofits interested in starting or expanding programs specifically focused on senior dogs. During our most recent grant cycle, The Grey Muzzle Organization received more than 160 proposals from animal welfare organizations nationwide that want to implement or expand senior dog programs.”

Veterinarian Dr. Heather Loenser offered her perspective and a great tip for all dog parents. “Even visits to the veterinarian morph from being all about preventing the calamities of puppyhood to supporting a gentle journey into the most precious years of an older dog’s life,” she described. “I do rejoice in the exuberance of a ‘puppy visit,’ but I’m in awe of the nobility that graces my exam room when I’m caring for a senior dog. For reassurance that I’m not leaving any stone unturned in regards to the management of older dogs, I follow the American Animal Hospital Association’s Canine Lifestage Guidelines.”

A peek at some My Old Dog stories…

Laura Coffey with her senior babies – Manny, 9 and Frida, 12

Ready to smile, laugh out loud and feel your heart so elated that you’d like to reach into this book and give the dogs and their humans a big, warm hug? That’s how I felt as I read these stories that Laura and Lori traversed the country to capture. Here are just parts of a few, but I seriously suggest buying this book, because they are all gems.

The first thing you’ll see when you open My Old Dog, after lots of praise for the book, is a Foreword by Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and lifelong animal lover, Neko Case. And, it’s really cool. Read it. America’s Vet, Dr. Marty Becker, wrote the Afterwords,with Vetstreet.com’s resident trainer, Mikkel Becker.

Remy, 10

Remy with Sister Virginia Johnson

I love how Laura begins the chapter on Remy. “It’s not every day that three women in their seventies and eighties walk into an animal shelter and tell the executive director they’d like to see a dog nobody wants.” But that’s exactly what Sisters Veronica Mendez, Virginia Johnson, and Alice Goldsmith, nuns from Sister of Our Lady of Christian Doctrine in Nyack, New York did. Their quest led them to Remy, a nine-year-old Pitbull, languishing in the shelter for more than three months. Having just lost their outgoing seven-year-old mixed breed dog, Kate, to a very aggressive lymphoma, they were grieving and decided that saving a dog’s life from imminent euthanasia was a great way to feel better and do good.

When they first met Remy, a docile, sweet Pittie, she leaned her head into Sister Virginia’s chest and signed. “She just got right up there,” Sister Virginia, eighty,  recalled. “She said, ‘This must be my new family.'”

Veronica, seventy-two, loves taking Remy on contemplative walks and hikes. Remy also gets to play in the tree-filled backyard, lounge on soft beds in multiple rooms of her new house and play with lots of her toys. She earned the nickname, Thumper, for the way her tail excitedly wags when she sees one of the nuns or gets her belly rubbed. I love how Sister Virginia likened Remy’s contentment to one of the foster kids she helped years ago as a social worker. “When one of those children clicked with their adoptive parents, they showed an unmistakable sense of tranquility and relief.”

“Remy did that with us – she sensed, ‘These are going to be my people. I can tell,'” Virginia shared. “And we knew this was our dog. We could tell.”

Maddie, 8

The descriptive phrase that precedes the chapter on the two Maddies, gives you an idea on what you’re about to read. “Together, a Tiny Dog and a Seventy-Five-Year-Old Widow Start Living Again.” Madelon Weber was descending into a deep depression. She’d suddenly lost her husband of forty-three years, Ron Weber, and then her beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Charlie. She found herself in her large San Mateo home, all alone. So, when her daughter came into town for a visit and saw how her mother’s outlook on life had changed, she suggested she get another dog.

Muttville Senior Dog Rescue’s Seniors for Seniors is the amazing program that matched Madelon with a senior dog. But, Maddie wasn’t the first dog she adopted. She’d fallen for an almost completely blind, friendly little Shih Tzu named Max. She took him home and they began their life together. Six days later, at Muttville’s expense, Max went into the vet to be neutered. He never made it out. Madelon was heartbroken.  Another loss?

Deeply discouraged and thinking maybe she wasn’t meant to have another dog, she felt a wall coming down inside of her. A few days later, she found a big box on her doorstep of flowers with a sympathy card, from Muttville. During a follow up call, they asked if she’d like to come in to see another Shih Tzu, one they’d just gotten in from Fresno. Ten pound Maddie walked right up to Madelon “with dainty elegance” and put her head on her lap, and that was it.

“I will tell you it was real dull around here before I got her,” Madelon recalled. “When I finally got this little girl – and I have no idea what her history is – but she was perfect. I can’t say that about anyone else, but in so many ways she’s so perfect for me.”

Now, both Maddie’s lives are so different.  Madelon has taken up line-dancing and bridge lessons, and she works out with a personal trainer once a week. She also started participating in a jail ministry to help incarcerated women feel empowered and focus, for that hour or two, on positive things about themselves. “I come home now, and the house is not empty,” Weber explained.  “I have a schedule because she has a schedule. When I go around the neighborhood, the neighbors visit with me because they see her and enjoy her. Actually, we saved each other. I gave her a home and she gave me a purpose.”

As we wrapped up our conversation, Madelon thoughtfully shared, “I think all of us want to feel we’re important, somewhere. Now, all I have to do is open the door and there she is, a wagging tail and a happy little face, running over to bring her best toy to me. My dangers is to want more of them!

Einstein, 11

All it took was an online video of an older, upbeat dog with a sad past and George’s heart melted. The George is Clooney and dog is Einstein, a black Cocker Spaniel with chronically dry eyes and a thyroid condition.

An obese, unneutered stray when he was brought into the San Bernardino shelter, his early days was harrowing in a crowded kennel, where dogs were being put down within days. A big Chow mix barked and lunged at him. “His rolls of fat were shaking, and he was terrified, backed into a tight corner in the small kennel space,” recalled Cathy Stanley, founder of the group Camp Cocker Rescue. “I knew I had to get him the heck out of there. No way was I leaving him behind.”

It took Cathy and her friend, Fran Muzio who fostered Einstein, eight months to rehabilitate him. They helped Einstein lose nearly fifteen pounds, an enormous amount of weight for a dog. They put him on thyroid medication, fed him good quality food, gave him veggies as snacks and he got lots of walks. Then, they made that video, showing the newly svelte Einstein, happily wagging his little Cocker stub as people pet him. Once Cathy shared it online, potential adopters started coming forward. One took the time to fill out Camp Cocker’s seventy-question adoption application. That would be George.

Cathy, a former celebrity personal assistant, was nervous as to whether Clooney would be one who cherished his dog or whether this would be an impulse adoption that turned into a less than desirable situation for Einstein.

When the home visit day arrived, Cathy and Fran settled Einstein into the car with his meds, food, veggies, eye drops and other gear, and drove to a “luxurious, forested piece of real estate in Studio City,” as Laura wrote. As they arrived and met George, all of Cathy’s fears melted away. Clooney spend 90 minutes with them, wanting to know every minute detail about Einstein, sitting on the floor with the dog to get better acquainted. When Einstein wandered off and was found in the kitchen pantry, trying to open food packages, George was cool, saying they’d just have to remember to keep the pantry door closed from now on.

photo credit: Omega

But, what I loved the most, was what George did out of his own nervousness in meeting Einstein, hoping the dog would like him. In an interview published in the January 2012 issue of Esquire, Clooney shared his recollection. He remembered Cathy saying that they’d bring Einstein over, but if he didn’t like George, he couldn’t stay. “I have this really long driveway, and I open the gate for them, and I start to panic that Einstein is not going to like me,” George recounted. “So I run into the kitchen, where I have these turkey meatballs, and I rub them all over my shoes. This woman opens the door, and who knew Einstein was such a food whore on top of everything? He throws himself at my feet. She says, ‘I’ve never seen him react like that, ever!’… Forever, now, he just thinks of me as the guy with  meatball feet. He loves me. I can do no wrong. He follows me everywhere.”

Casey, 10

Casey is one of the many senior rescue dogs that Jeannie and Bruce Nordstrom care for. The Nordstroms are the humans behind the upscale retail chain of the same name, and this power couple don’t just talk the talk of animal rescue, they walk the walk, roll their sleeves up and get dirty.

“For nearly 30 years now, Bruce Nordstrom and his wife Jeannie Nordstrom have personally provided refuge and care to hundreds and hundreds of animals — from senior dogs to senior farm animals to tiny homeless kittens,” Laura shared. “It’s almost impossible to stress how much the Nordstroms have done for animal welfare, and they’re so unassuming and low-key about it. The chapter about the Nordstroms is one of my favorite chapters in the book because it’s so unexpected and astonishing and life-affirming. I think people will be surprised when they read it!” It’s one of my favorites, too! The Nordstroms are what I aspire to be, offering a wonderful home to those hardest to adopt or those needing a helping hand in their lives. They’ve fostered more than 1,000 kittens in the back bedroom of their downtown Seattle condo. And, on their nine acre property on Hood Canal, a glacier-carved fjord in western Washington State, they’ve created an oasis for aging cows, miniature horses, burros, goats, sheep and chickens in need.

Casey is a ten year old, one hundred pound girl who is an interesting mix of unusual breeds. She may be part Leonberger, part Landsseer and part Estrela mountain dog. When the Nordstroms became aware of her, she was already in trouble, a common denominator in all the dogs they rescue. As Laura writes, “Casey had been surrendered to the Seattle Humane Society shelter not once, but twice.” The Vice President of Development there called Casey a hard-to-adopt animal, due to her protective nature. When Jeannie came across Casey’s picture, she called but was told Casey was already adopted. Something made Jeannie hang on to Casey’s picture. About six weeks later, she got the call, Casey had been brought back and was available. “I think she was looking for us!” Jeannie exclaimed.

Casey now lives in a comfortable fifteenth-floor condominium with a large deck that has a sweeping view of Seattle’s Pike Place Market, the waterfront, the Olympic Mountains, and the space Needle, as well as pieces of fresh sod for her bathroom breaks. She shares her home with another dog named Hula, two cats named Jane and Loretta and many, many foster kittens the Nordstroms nurture until they’re old enough to be adopted. Jeannie and Bruce find homes for most of the kittens themselves, from their very large network of friends and contacts.

What to look for when adopting a senior dog…

You’ve gotten a taste of the wonderful stories that will greet you in My Old Dog. Maybe you’re thinking about adopting a senior. What would you want to know? Lisa Lunghofer of The Grey Muzzle Organization, weighed in. “When adopting any dog–senior or not–it’s important to be sure the dog is a good fit for your lifestyle” she explained. “For example, some senior dogs are high-energy, while others are happy to snooze the day away. It’s critical to consider what would make a good match for you in terms of temperament, energy-level, and health care needs.”

For Mother’s Day, The Grey Muzzle Organization is launching a fundraiser using Giving Grid. You can make a donation in honor of your mom (or a doggie mom), and Grey Muzzle will send a special message to the honoree. “We will also enter the honoree’s name into a drawing for signed copies of books by Dr. Marty Becker and Victoria Stilwell, among others,” Lunghofer said. “We have also recently launched our Faithful Friends monthly giving program. We are looking to recruit 50 new members by the end of May. Just a few cents a day can help us realize our vision of a world where no old dog dies alone and afraid.”

The Giveaway!

One lucky Bark & Swagger follower will win a copy of this wonderful book!

The giveaway will run from Sunday, May 8th at 9pm EST to Sunday, May 15th at 11:59pm EST. To enter:

• You must be 18+ years of age and live in the U.S.
• Sign up for our email list and get the fresh news first!
• Like Bark & Swagger on Facebook
• Like My Old Dog on Facebook
• Follow Bark & Swagger on Instagram
• Follow My Old Dog on Twitter

The winner will be chosen at random by GiveawayTools.com. I will email the winner when the giveaway closes. Good luck!

As we all celebrate Mother’s Day, dog moms cuddle your pups closer. There are so many dogs and cats out there who would give anything to have our babies’ homes. If you read this and have room in your home to adopt another, please consider a senior and add a very loving and appreciative member to your family.

Happy Mother’s Day, everyone!

To purchase My Old Dog: Rescued Pets with Remarkable Second Acts.

For more information on The Grey Muzzle Organization.

Do you have a senior rescue or would you consider adopting one? Tell us your story! 

Laura T. Coffey is a writer, editor, and producer for TODAY.com, the website of NBC’s TODAY show. An award-winning journalist with more than two decades of experience, Laura has written and edited hundreds of high-profile human-interest stories. She lives in Seattle.

Lori Fusaro is staff photographer at Best Friends Animal Society in Los Angeles and owner of Fusaro Photography, whose clients include BAD RAP, Guide Dogs for the Blind, k9 connection, Angel City Pit Bulls, and other animal-rescue organizations. She lives in Los Angeles.

All photos but George Clooney with Einstein Copyright Lori Fusaro / “My Old Dog”.

If you enjoyed this, you might also like my story on Traer Scott’s book about shelter dogs, Finding Home.