Adopt a Senior Pet Month

In honor of Adopt a Senior Pet Month, shelters and rescues across the country have put on their thinking caps, developed promotions to highlight their senior pets, and are asking their communities to open their hearts and homes to a new family member. The truth is, all year long shelters struggle to find homes for these deserving animals, as they enter our doors every day. For one reason or another, the family that embraced them and offered the warmth, safety and security of a loving home pulled their white flag, and they are surrendered to shelters like ours. While it’s always heartbreaking when one of these sweet animals comes through our doors, it’s just as emotional when we get to watch their tail sway one last time as they exit by the side of their new family. Whether or not the animal or the person knows it, families that adopt senior animals are special. And sometimes, they are more special than most of us ever would have anticipated.

Last year, Shaney was brought to the Virginia Beach SPCA. She had been adopted from us years before, and, in honor of the contract they signed, when Shaney’s adopted family could no longer care for her, she was brought back to the shelter. No animal understands why they are brought to a shelter. Most are clearly terrified and confused. You don’t see a look of “I’m here because I chewed up one too many pairs of shoes,” just a look of confusion. When a senior dog enters the shelter, the look is always different. They never seem to be asking why. They always seem confused and nervous, but it takes a lot long for them to lose the look of hope that their family will be coming back to get them. I don’t know what they think, but I can say with certainty that they are not thrilled to be there. Shaney was no different. She was thin; her fur was rough and coarse. She was built like a Greyhound, and colored like a German Shepherd. She had a narrow face, and gravity had taken its toll in a way that caused her lips to get stuck on her teeth that created a little grizzly grin. She was cute and sweet. She loved any attention, and especially enjoyed going for runs. However, Shaney was 10 years old, and did not tend to get along well with other dogs. We all knew finding Shaney a new home was going to be a challenge, and we all did our best to introduce Shaney to families where she would be the only child, and keep her as healthy and happy as we could. But, the truth is, most families that adopt senior animals already have other pets in their home.

Shaney was with us for two months. She had started to lose what little of the weight she had. So, when the Friend’s School in Virginia Beach invited the VBSPCA out to an event, Humane Education Director, Kathy Shambo, thought Shaney would be a great candidate to go and spend the day out of the shelter, meeting new people and getting unlimited pats and compliments from the children. That is where Shaney met Alex for the first time.

Alex was 16 years old. Alex was a dog lover, ran his own dog walking business in his free time, and was working hard on his family to bring a dog into their home. Alex and Shaney hit it off at the event. Alex was preparing to go to college, and knew he would be leaving home soon. While he wanted his family to have a dog, he knew when he went away to college his new furry friend would probably not be invited to attend with him, and his family would be left to care for it. Bringing home a puppy potentially meant leaving his family with a difficult preteen, and Alex did not want that. Alex was searching for and older dog, and when he met Shaney he knew he’d found what he’d been looking for. It wasn’t long after that Alex convinced his parents to come down to the shelter and meet with Shaney again, and, late in August, his family welcomed Shaney into their home.

Shaney and Alex

Alex makes me feel a little shameful. When I was his age, I never would have thought that way. And, most adults I know still wouldn’t. Working in the shelter has given me a soft spot for older animals, and I repeatedly fall victim to the charm of the seniors. Our own Executive Director will only adopt seniors, and on the occasion that one of us tries to sucker her into adopting one of our favorites by planting it in her office for “extra socialization,” we almost always hear “he/she is too young.” It makes me laugh every time, because I often hear the opposite from visitors to the shelter.

One of the sad truths of pet ownership is, that our pets don’t live long enough. If we bring them home at 8 weeks or 8 years old, the day we have to say goodbye always comes too soon. Bringing home a senior animal means having to say goodbye a little sooner, but welcoming them into our lives is an act of selflessness that is hard to quantify. There will be fewer chewed shoes, no accidents to clean up, and you will always have someone to sit on the couch with you and watch the football game. As I write this, I am in the company of my two senior cats and senior dog (I also have one teenager, and trust me when I say, he chose me). I know I could never go through kittenhood again, and I will never be able to handle puppyhood. To be honest, I like the excitement of new things, so bringing home an older pet means I get another “new” pet sooner.

If your family is thinking of adding a new member, a senior animal may just be what you’re looking for. For the month of November the Virginia Beach SPCA is honoring our senior animals (all animals 7 years and older) by waiving the adoption fee, and with the help of the Grey Muzzle foundation, covering medical expenses such as dentals and heartworm treatments. Adopt a *senior* shelter animal, the life you save may be your own.

For more great reasons to adopt a senior dog:

http://www.aspca.org/adoption/adoption-tips/reasons-to-adopt-an-older-dog.aspx

(I had trouble finding a link for reasons to adopt a senior cat, but most of these apply to cats too. Your kitten might not chew your WHOLE shoe, but there’s a good chance you’re going to spend a small fortune on shoe laces. Puppies may bite your ankles, but kitten love to use our legs for climbing toys!!!)

Dyanna, Kennel Coordinator

The Millionaire Matchmaker

This is the response I received after I informed a woman (though I don’t know her
name, we’ll call her Olivia just to keep the story fluid) that the one year old, 60
pound, totally crazy, jump-all-over-you-knock-you-down bulldog she just inquired
about may not be a good match for her family, that included a little guy just starting
to walk, and another little guy in a child transport device. Forget the fact that he was
already on hold for someone else, and was going to go home later that day.
“She’s right,” I told myself. Who am I to tell her that Olivia can’t take this maniac of a
dog home if she wants to? They are her kids, after all. She can subject them to
whatever she likes. I don’t have children, being in the same room with a baby makes
me uneasy, and carrying on a discussion with a child puts a lump in my throat. It isn’t
that I don’t like kids, it’s I don’t have the experience. Being around children elicits the
type of emotion I imagine my mother would experience when faced with a 100-pound
growling dog. I’d take a breath and hope for the best, my mom would know that the
end is nigh.

I reminded myself that my job is to advocate for the dog. “You shouldn’t feel bad; you
have to think about what’s best for the dog.” I know that. Really, I hate that this
woman is mad at me. I feel saddened that she marched off, instead of letting me
introduce her to some more easy-going, child-loving dogs. I know that she can just
go to a pet store, pull out her credit card, and buy herself whatever adorable little
puppy she wants. Forget saving a life, now this is personal.

I have revisited my interaction with Olivia repeatedly in my head, and I still feel bad. I
have been considering the responsibility that goes into dealing with animals. I’m not
talking about walking, feeding, vet care, I’m talking about the big, life-changing
decisions we make. DECIDING to adopt a dog; DECIDING to get rid of a dog;
DECIDING which dogs are not adoptable. All of these decisions are huge, and my
job is to DECIDE what is best for the dogs in our care, and knowing in my heart that
at the end of the day, I took all the information I had and came to a conclusion that
was in the best interest of the ANIMAL and the FAMILY.

I’m like the Millionaire Match Maker, except I don’t have gorgeous, successful well-
cultured women, I have dogs. And I don’t have millionaires. I have sweet, selfless,
families, coming to me and asking for help making their families complete. I groom
my “dates,” teach them good manners, keep them clean, put a nice collar on them
and make sure they stay happy by meeting their basic needs. I have to get to know
my “Millionaires,” find out what they’re looking for, what fits their lifestyle, and give
them information on how to pick the best match. I have to remind them, that while
this one may have stunning blue eyes and a gorgeous blonde coat, she has the
energy of firecracker and the weight of small horse, both of which she may choose to
pull out on any unsuspecting human bystander. But maybe you should meet this girl,
with nondescript brown eyes, a dull coat that will shine up nicely after a good diet
and a bath or two. This girl will be patient when your little one trips learning to take
her first steps. She will lie patiently at the front door waiting for you to come home.
And when you finally do arrive home, she’ll wait to greet you and you tell you about
her day until after you have put your groceries down. We’ll find a millionaire for that
little firecracker, too.

So, Olivia, here’s what you taught me: I’m not here to make you mad, and I’m not
here to tell you what kind of parent you are. I’ll let you do the parenting, and I’m
going to keep doing the dogging. I don’t know how to handle your child when he has
an epic meltdown because the dog chewed up his favorite toy, but I can help you
find the dog that may not chew up his toys, or maybe even share her dog toys with
your son. I’m here to make a love connection. Show me the shape of the hole in your
heart, and I’ll show you a dog that fits quite nicely. I’m here to find forever homes for
our dogs, and sometimes that means falling in love with your heart, not your eyes. I’ll
trust you to raise your sons to be kind, compassionate, animal-loving gentlemen, if
you trust me to put a dog in your home that will keep your sons safe, happy and
wanting to adopt when they have a family all their own.

Olivia, I challenge you to a rematch.