Golden Oldies
Older Dogs
by Becky Lindstrom
I adopted my Gilda from a rescue group when she was 10 weeks old. She is now almost 12 years old and I couldn’t possibly love her anymore if someone gave me all the money in the world! She has been one of the very best dogs we have ever had and knowing we’re losing her to cancer aches like I can’t tell you. Gilda was not a lot of trouble when she was little because I had a lot of help with her; however, as cute and fun as she was, I will never have a puppy again! Gilda was very high energy and a lot of work. It was very much worth the ruined nylons, peed on carpet, chewed on moldings, potty breaks in the middle of the night in below zero weather and obedience classes, but the real love and bond between us formed as she grew from a puppy to an adult dog and it continues to this day.
Since becoming a volunteer for RAGOM, I have been around Goldens of all ages and maybe it’s partly because they’ve been displaced, but I tend to go towards the older ones. It’s my feeling that when you adopt an older dog, because it is a mature dog you will have a sense for the kind of personality it has and be able to choose one that best fits you and your lifestyle. The dog will be less likely to chew, potty in the house, destroy things in general and will possibly be trained in some form of obedience. In most cases you will spend less time trying to correct a bad behavior and more time just enjoying your already well ‘seasoned’ friend. In a nutshell, they are a lot less work than a puppy and even some of the younger adult dogs.
An older dog is harder to place because so many people want a puppy and also because potential adopters assume the older dogs were abandoned because of problems they may have. So often this is just not true and even so, many of these so called problems are so easily corrected with a little time, patience and love. Age is also an issue when some of these dogs are given up. They were cute when they were puppies but many people turn their backs on them when they get older because the dog isn’t as cute anymore, it’s too big, they don’t have time for it or, the dog has slowed down and isn’t as fun as it use to be, it sleeps all the time or worse yet, it’s begun to need medical care. Much like it is with people, these older animals are often removed from their homes and given up to the care of strangers. How awfully sad that these beautiful dogs should be abandoned when they need us the most.
When considering the adoption of a dog or puppy, please take the time to really think through your situation and how much time you are willing to commit to a dog. If an older more mature dog will better suit your lifestyle, please consider adopting one. What you see is what you’ll get and when you look into the eyes of those beautiful gray sprinkled faces, I guarantee you will not be able to resist! These wonderful older dogs have a lot of life left to live and they deserve a permanent home. Could that home possibly be with you? If so, when that special senior moves into your home and into your heart, you will be rewarded with an unconditional love and devotion that you’ve never known before.
On behalf of RAGOM’s white faced beauties, thanks very much for considering a senior!