Too Old???

So many times I send out an application to someone who wants a puppy or a young dog, "no more than a year old." Their reasons are many: "If I don't get it as a pup, it won't know me as its master . . . want it to grow up with the kids, can't trust an old dog . . . brain keeps growing, skull doesn't . . .a dog that has belonged to someone else will not be loyal . . . don't know its background . . .can't trust it . . . it won't live long enough . . ." etc. etc. I feel so sorry for these people, they will never know the JOY they are missing. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to have taken in an adult or older dog have experienced blessings beyond words. I personally have had Dobermans since 1961 and have on two occasions tried to raise a puppy. FORGET IT! Give me the settled, laid back, all together, well mannered, grateful, devoted, loving adult Dobie, who knows what life is all about, who respects my authority, defends my property instead of chewing it to pieces, and is grateful for everything I do, and gives so much in return. He may not be around as long as a young one, no matter. The quality of love he gives makes each day a special blessing. While the young Dobies are running the fence, barking, digging, chewing, playing, ignoring my call for silence, the older dogs stand quietly at my side, content just to be with me. Oh yes, I'll miss them when God decides he needs them more than I do, but the memories, and the lessons in love and devotion they are teaching me will live forever.

Reprinted with the kind permission of the author, Birdie F. Johnson.

 

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Grace and Rosie's dad says: Adopting an older dog is one of the most rewarding and satisfying decisions one can ever make. To those of us who have learned of these treasures waiting for new homes it is difficult to know where to start in explaining why they are often so much more satisfying than taking in a puppy or other youngster. Over several years I've had the great pleasure of adding older dogs and cats to my family and have NEVER regretted it. Let's start with the basics. Older dogs:
· Are housebroken
· Are socialized
· Are predictable
· Are developed
· Are often already trained
· Are beyond chewing, digging and teething
· Are relatively mellow
· Recognize real love and acceptance and know how to reciprocate
Don't get me wrong. Puppies are remarkable creatures that are adorable to look at, snuggle, watch develop into dogs and all those other things. But most of all, puppies look best when they are going home with someone else who wants to take on all that hard work, commitment, house training and everything else it takes to turn one of those little fur-balls into a real dog. Many believe it is necessary to raise a dog from puppyhood to be able to have it trained and otherwise be the loyal and dedicated dog they really want. Then there is the cliché which says one cannot teach an old dog new tricks. From personal experience I assure you both beliefs are simply wrong. In the last few years I have adopted two "older" Doberman Pinschers. One was at least 6 and a half, the other was at least 7 and a half. Both arrived labeled as "untrained" but "friendly" personalities. The "friendly" description was very accurate. The "untrained" was not. In both cases, within a couple weeks the dogs were comfortable with basic obedience - walking on a lead, acceptable heeling, coming when called and being calm and friendly with strangers. It's not because I am some amazing trainer. It is because they were grownups and welcomed the guidance, affection and structure I offered. Interestingly, I offered all those things, but they gave me far more in return. We now travel together, sleep together, play together and enjoy life together. It happened quickly, not after two or more years of working through puppy-ness in hopes of guiding the formation of a great dog. So, will my total time with these older dogs likely be shorter than the lifetime I would have with a new puppy? Probably so. But, can I count on what time we are given being the most fun, complete, satisfying and fulfilling we can hope to experience from loving a dog who loves us? Absolutely! And that's why I am so pleased to have learned the joy of adopting an older animal, and why I will do it again. I hope you do, too.

John & Pat Getter 

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I had just moved to the area and started volunteering with DAR&E, after being a foster parent for Dobes down in Florida for several years. We originally got Charlie as a temporary foster - I was still trying to sell my husband on the joys of fostering. We were supposed to have Charlie for only a week or so, but he ended up being a part of our life for the rest of his. Charlie was 7 years old when he came to us - a huge (125 lbs) Dober-boy with the sweetest eyes and a heart almost as big as he was. He had the sweetest soul of any dog I've known or fostered, despite the rough life he had before coming to DAR&E. For the first week we had him, he was wonderful but a bit distant. It was almost as if he expected to be moved around again and had come to accept that was how it would be. It only took that first week for both of us to fall in love with him and realize that not only would we not put him through yet another move, but we couldn't let him go. Charlie became our best friend and companion - a sweet soul content to sit quietly for head and belly rubs, give gentle kisses, sleep by our bed every night, and also display puppy antics when he ran around the yard. His first Christmas with us, we bought him a stuffed blue puppy. That toy became his "baby" and he gently carried it around with him everywhere - to bed, down the stairs in the morning, and even outside when it was "potty" time. Charlie was so gentle that when he discovered a rabbit nest in the yard, he gently brought us a baby rabbit to take care of - not a hair on the rabbit had been hurt. That was our Charlie. He never met a person he didn't love, or whose heart he didn't steal. And who we affectionately called "fat boy," but who was really the most handsome dog in the world. Our Charlie-boy - who gave us the kind of love and devotion most people could spend a lifetime looking for and never find. We lost Charlie when he was almost 10 years old to a suspected brain tumor. We were devastated, and although we wished for more time with him we are blessed to have had him in our lives at all. People ask how one can adopt an older dog, knowing that your time with them may be short. I always tell them there is a special kind of love you only get with an older dog, and although the time you have may indeed be short, the impression they leave on your heart and soul is more than enough to last a lifetime.

Stacey

 

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I was DAR&E's Foster Coordinator at the time in Dec 2003 and had just lost my 9 ½ year old male. I could kinda pick and choose who my next foster would be and only criteria would be they would need to be good with my DARE girl Kayla. Red alpha who rules the roost. Heard about these two dogs we had just gotten in and went to see them. Female - very sweet young gal and her running partner - older male, maybe around 4-5, slight graying muzzle and skinny. Oh what the heck, day after Christmas picked the male up. He had pneumonia and was recovering so I brought the skinny boy home. He was just gonna be a foster. He couldn't replace my old male. He was easy going fella with me, was a little unsure about my husband but began to warm up to him. He was still only going to be my foster. I wasn't ready to adopt. Okay, lasted about 3 days and the day I came home from work and couldn't find him and panicked. Called his name, and I see a big lump moving under the covers in my bed ! He came out with the biggest grin on his face smiling at me and that was it. I laughed so hard, I knew he would stay. And so he did! Being the foster coordinator, I could pick easily who I fostered but chose this slightly gray muzzle with silly grin and fell in love. There is absolutely nothing like an older dog. Riley has been to classes, and now demo's for several obedience classes only truly proving as well, that you CAN teach an old(er) dog new tricks. He's also gotten his Canine Good Citizen certificate as well. The gray is now a little more and a little arthritis and we guess him to be 7-8. His easy going gentle nature is just wonderful. He still has his ear to ear grin. Altho we may not have him quite as long as adopting a young pup, all he has taught us and the love he has shown is priceless. There is absolutely nothing like an older dobe.

Kathleen, Kayla CGC & Riley CGC

 

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Fawn was first brought to mine and Eric's attention back in May of 2001. She was an owner release that was on the list for over a year but because of her age, she was eight at the time, no one was interested in adopting her. The final plea for her came out through an email to the group saying that the owner was going to put her down that day because they could not wait any longer. Eric called the lady and asked her to hold off and that we would come and pick her up that weekend. I was going out of town for the weekend so on Saturday morning Eric borrowed his Dad's pick-up truck and drove to Maryland to get her. Fawn wasn't the prettiest of dogs. She had mange so some of her fur was either gone or thinned out, she had an open sore on her leg that the owner said was from a groundhog bite, and she had sores on her elbows because the owner wouldn't give her anything soft to lay on because she said that Fawn always chewed it up. Fawn was allowed total run of the property and was basically an outside dog. It seemed like there was no vet care for her at all. And it wasn't that she was in a lot of pain, it was just that she wasn't well cared for and the owners just didn't have time for her anymore. While living with them, Fawn had two human babies enter the family and she lost her dog playmate because the owners didn't have time for two dogs once the kids came along. This was the same reason, plus a move planned, for getting rid of Fawn. Fawn had a lot of stress in her life. Eric did the little pleasantries that are necessary when retrieving a dog and once he was ready to go, Fawn jumped right into the truck and they were on their way back to Virginia. Fawn didn't look back. Once home, Eric had to introduce Fawn to both Portia and Sydney (our two females). Our goal when saving Fawn from euthanasia was to foster her only and then place her into a home. There were two people already interested in her but as soon as Eric picked her up that day he knew that she was ours to keep. After some vet care, Fawn turned into a beautiful dog and a great companion. One couldn't have asked for a better friend. Fawn was the most loveable dog and took to us right away. She never once showed an ounce of aggression towards anyone, would let us do anything to her, and was just the most comical dog. The excitement she showed when you were getting ready to give her attention or when she knew that she was going for a ride in the car was the funniest. She would play with a tennis ball just like a cat would. She loved everyone she met and everyone loved her. She loved to pass out kisses! Out of all of our dogs she was the one that we could trust the most. We could take her outside off leash and we knew she would listen to us. She was an all around great dog. We didn't care that she was eight years old when we got her and we never once thought that we would only have her for a few short years. We just knew that she was ours from the beginning and we would take whatever time we had with her. Fawn lived to be 13 years old and we would never have traded that time in for anything. We had some great times with her and we would do it all over again if we could. Whether someone adopts an older or younger dog there is never a guarantee as to how long that person will have that dog. An older dog has a lot to offer a person. With Fawn we didn't have to go through the hyperness, the potty training, or any of those other things that a person has to deal with when getting a younger dog. The only thing we had to deal with was all the love she had to offer and old age and doesn't every owner wish that they have to deal with that one day? It really seems that they know what you are doing for them and they pay you back every minute of every day! Fawn went to the bridge on December 27, 2005 after what seemed a life time, but was only five short years. She is still greatly missed by us.

Carla & Eric