Adopting a dog senior might save his life. They also need stable home and love which unfortunately can never be fully provided in the shelter. Nevertheless, most people who are considering adoption as an option automatically look for a puppy or at least a young dog.
Adopting a dog senior might save his life. They also need stable home and love which unfortunately can never be fully provided in the shelter. Nevertheless, most people who are considering adoption as an option automatically look for a puppy or at least a young dog.
We intuitively associate many prejudices with dog seniors. We are afraid of more demanding care and of the fact we would have to say goodbye after a short period of time. However, the dog shelters are full of healthy and active dog seniors (according to many vets, a dog senior is considered to be from fifth to seventh years of age – it depends on the size, of course).
I was the same when I first adopted a dog from a shelter. I chose a puppy. Now, I am thinking of doing something good and making our pack bigger.
I tried to summarize a few advantages why it is good to adopt an older dog. Experience with the adoption of older dogs confirms that they will be great pets and companions as well as younger dogs.
Older dogs are not necessarily “problematic” as many people think. Some of them might have been put aside by their owners who were not able to take care of them any more from various reasons (the change in the health conditions or generally life conditions, a new baby in the family, a household member’s allergy or simple inexperience, etc.).
Older dogs usually know basic commands. This way, you will save time and energy you would otherwise have to devote to train your puppy or a young dog. But the saying “you can't teach an old dog new tricks” also doesn’t hold true. If the dog is in good mental and physical condition, it can learn new things its whole life.
Older dogs are generally much calmer. They are great with children. They don’t have sharp teeth puppies usually have, won’t wake you up in the middle of the night because they want their ball or to pee and they won’t chew your furniture.
Older dogs are loyal and devoted companions for both good and bad times. They have gone through a lot themselves so they don't get easily upset. You can go for a walk with them without a leash. They will guard you and won’t run away for no reason.
By taking an older dog into your family, you don’t only provide it with a better life but you can also save it from potential early euthanasia. However, this is really an extreme case which is known more from foreign countries than from the Czech Republic.
There are definitely a few disadvantages I don’t have to describe in greater detail here. The today’s article is not about them. All people who have ever had a dog know that it’s not easy when a dog is old as well as when a person is old. In spite of that, each beautiful moment with your companion will definitely be worth it.
Do you have any experience with adopting a dog senior? What other reason for adopting an older dog come to your mind?
Every one of us has for sure encountered diarrhoea in our fuzzy friend. Usually, there’s nothing to fuss about, the body reacts to food that it isn’t capable to digest or that didn’t do it good. However, it is good to know, when we are capable of...
I have been sharing with you my experience with dogs and other animals for quite some time now and it occurred to me to wander a little bit into history as well, but into an interesting one! I’d like to introduce you to several well-known dog...
Allergy is a disproportionate reaction of the immunity system to common stimuli. It cannot be cured, but we can suppress its manifestations. In the last years, allergies in pets and dogs especially are on the rise. Currently, about 10% of house-dogs...
Today, we are going to take a look at the Feline Infectious Peritonitis - FIP, an utterly exceptional virus illness that always has a fatal end. Most of the cats get into contact with the viruses that cause FIP in their lifetime, even though the...
We can divide dog owners into two groups. The ones that allow the dog in bed and those that feel that this is no option. Let’s take a look at what such bed sharing with a dog actually entails.
If you like going on treks with your fuzzy friends, geocaching is something precisely for you. This way, you will liven up your trips and maybe you even discover places that you wouldn’t have found otherwise. I and my pack can’t get enough of it.
Contrary to dogs, cats have a strong bond with the place where they live. That’s why moving is very stressful for them and this stress may cause a number of diseases. It’s a good idea to plan everything well, so that you could make the situation of a...
Even though the dogs went through long years of domestication, they still retain fundamental instincts as we do. They might not be as strong as in wild dogs, but they still play a very significant role in the life of a dog and in their behaviour. So if...
Even though it’s been a long time since our four-legged furry friends lived a feral life, they still have the laws of the pack rooted deep down inside them. It is not acquired behaviour, the need to live in a pack is determined by genetics. And if...
It is no news that the dog isn’t only a pet and that it can also help saving human lives in various catastrophes. But have you ever thought about what it means for dogs to become rescuers? You haven’t? Well, then it’s the right time to set off together...
The usual pregnancy period in female dogs is indicated at about 58 – 65 days, the average is 63 days. In case of the nutrition of a pregnant female, possible changes in diet can be likened to the changes in diet of pregnant women. Pregnant female dogs...
The most frequent reason why your dog starts to gain weight is simple, as in most of people: they consume more energy than they spend. Some owners wave their arm at a well-intended warning that their pet has gained weight, stating that the dog is...
