It's important for me to write about the challenges for two reasons:
First, to help you understand what you're getting yourself into, and second, because not so long I was just like you, unsure if I was willing to take on a senior dog.
I'll be the first to admit, before adopting my last dog, age was one of my criteria. Who wants to get attached to a pet, only to have to endure what I call "the short stay." If this sounds like you, this is perfectly normal thinking. If you're an animal lover, you don't want to see any pet uncomfortable, and you'd love to give your new companion a great home for as many years as you can.
Maybe you're thinking that most old dogs' best days are behind them.
Unfortunately, for lots of the old dogs in shelters out there that is not the case. Given up because they don't have that same sparkle in their eye or spring in their step. Those older pooches that wind up in a no-kill shelter can spend a year or more waiting for someone to adopt them, all the time hoping that their owners will return. Many are deemed "unadoptable" only by virtue of their age.How do I justify the short stay?
I do it because whether it's four months or four years, I able to give another living creature a second chance that it wouldn't otherwise have. If you're in the market for a new canine companion, I hope that something here has touched you and you're considering being a superhero to an old one too.Related link: Check out all of the benefits of adopting a senior dog
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