Dear Fellow Dog Lovers,

Happy Thanksgiving! This year I am thankful for our senior dogs and the wonderful people who decide to adopt them. This week’s featured dogs all have one thing in common. They are long past their puppyhood and are waiting for their forever retirement homes.

Many prospective adopters who come to the shelter looking for their new best friend quickly pass by any older dog for many reasons. But in an article appearing in Healthy Pet magazine, Amy Gonzalez discusses five reasons why you should adopt a senior. Here are the highlights:

“1. A senior dog has probably already been trained. Teaching your senior dog new tricks can also be easier than training a younger animal. It’s also a good bet that an older dog has been house-trained.

2. Most senior pets like to take it easy. Just like people, dogs tend to mellow out in their older years.  They’re usually less rambunctious than puppies and less likely to destroy things around the house.

3. What you see is typically what you get. When you meet your potential dog, you have the benefit of knowing what you’re getting in size and personality.

4. Older pets can bond with you. You don’t have to share your life with a dog from puppyhood to become the best of friends.

5. You could help reduce the number of pets in shelters.”

And now here are four of our current seniors waiting for their forever retirement homes. We’re hoping they won’t have to wait much longer.

I’m back and I’m still the wonderful dog I was before.

Our sweet Lady had to come back to us when her family couldn’t take care of her any longer. The good news is that she was so excited to see all of us at the shelter again. If you are a new reader of my blog, let me tell you about this most amazing dog.

This is what I wrote about her when she was waiting for her new home in early August.

Lady is still waiting for her forever family. She’s been waiting since May. She has not gotten discouraged by having to wait for so long. She has adapted to shelter life quite well and she’s become a volunteer favorite. She gets a lot of time away from her kennel outside and in Mary’s Place. Lady is an eight-year-old Retriever mix who has been an outdoor dog her whole life. She wants to be an indoor dog now that she’s a bit older. Lady is more interested in people than other dogs, but would do fine with a male dog who would defer to her and not expect her to play with him a lot. She cannot live with a cat, as she would want to chase it. Lady really will be a wonderful best friend for a family with children.

Lady was finally adopted in August and has been living very happily with kids of all ages. In fact, she is so good with children, she is rated “G” which means she can go home with any age child! And you would never know she is eight years old. Lady is just about the perfect family dog. She’s gentle, affectionate, house-trained, loves cheese, and is very laid back. A leisurely walk around the neighborhood and some playtime would be just fine before hanging out on the couch with her peeps.

Marianne and I couldn’t wait to take Lady back into Mary’s Place on Sunday. Here are some pictures from our time together. We all love this dog so much and hope she won’t have to wait as long for her new home this time.

And to show you her personality in action, here are two movies I made about her during her last stay at WHS during the summer.

Being a senior doesn’t mean you don’t still like to play!

Bucky is a thirteen-year-old Siberian Husky mix. He has some arthritis in his back legs and other older-dog related conditions, but is still a happy boy. He walks very nicely on leash and enjoys being around people much more than he does being around other dogs. He will need a family with older children who will understand that he is a senior and not handle him roughly. He needs to go to a cat-free home. He has won the hearts of many volunteers who make sure he has soft blankets in his kennel. He seemed to really enjoy posing for his photo shoot!

We took him into Mary’s Place, thinking he’d like to relax, but he surprised us when we got out the Giant Fluff Ball. Watch!

Need someone to curl up beside you while you read? I’m your guy!

Avalanche is an adorable eighteen-pound mix of Miniature Poodle and Cocker Spaniel. He’s also nine years old and showing his age some. He has cataracts. But don’t think for a second that this boy isn’t full of life and love. He is very social with other dogs and has enjoyed playgroups. He is a little shy with new people, but it doesn’t take him long to decide he wants to cuddle up next to you. He has a good history with cats and has been around older children. He is house-trained and loves to go for jaunts around the neighborhood with his person. We brought him into Mary’s Place where he promptly decided that snuggling up with us on the couch and munching treats was the best thing ever. We’re hoping this sweet boy will soon be enjoying retirement life.

I’m no youngster, but I still enjoy hanging out with my peeps.

Luke is a twelve-year-old Alaskan Malamute mix. He came from another shelter, so we don’t know his history, but because he can be sensitive to touch, he is recommended for a family with older teenagers and no small children. Luke loves to go for walks and does very well on leash. He is a big boy, weighing seventy-seven pounds. He’ll need a calm retirement home, as he can become stressed when there is a lot of commotion around him. But this boy loves to pose for pictures. Marianne and I met Luke shortly after he arrived at WHS and he couldn’t have been more cooperative.

On Sunday Jenna had him out and he was such a ham, as you’ll see in the pictures below. We’re hoping just the right fit of a person will find this giant goofball and take him home.

Charlie is a four-year-old Staffordshire/Bull Terrier mix. He is a shy, sweet boy needing an understanding and patient family.

Banjo is a one-year-old Beagle/Dachshund mix. He’s an active, fun little guy, here with Marianne.

Maizie is a six-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix and has the best grin in the world…when she decides to smile for the camera! Here she is with Marianne.

See?

Pookie, a one-year-old Boxer mix, is still waiting for her perfect fit of a family. And she still loves her Giant Fluff Ball which will go home with her when she’s adopted. Here she is on Sunday with Marianne.

Next week a dear friend from my high-school days will be here for a visit, so I won’t be writing my blog post. My next one will be December 6. I’m really hoping all four of this week’s seniors will be adopted by then.

Remember, if you see a dog on my blog whom you are interested in meeting, try to make arrangements to get to the Willamette Humane Society soon. Some dogs are adopted more quickly than you might think.

You can reach me at adoptanoregondog14@yahoo.com