15-Year-Old Becky Was Adopted!

Written by: Andrée Wagar
TAGS Foster Coordinator 

Becky was adopted this month, and while every adoption is wonderful, for me, this one is extra special.

As is usually the case in rescue, we don't know how Becky's story began, but we certainly know how it would have ended if she had stayed in the pound for even one more day. Her final few days would have been spent alone in a small enclosure with a cold concrete floor and soaked in her own urine before being euthanized. Instead, I took her out of the pound and brought her to TAGS. 

Becky is happy with her new family.
They adopted Ryella from us, as well.

Becky is an old dog. My best guess is that she is about 15. Her teeth are worn, her hips are weak, and her hearing is fading. But she still has a spark-a light inside her that shines out at the world when she looks at me and ambles over to say hello. In fact, it is impossible to stroke her now fluffy coat and not smile. She has that effect on everyone who meets her. As she gains weight and recovers from an infection, it is easy to see the dog she would have been in her prime.

She was surely a strong and loyal companion, because even though most of her physical strength is gone, she remains loyal, loving, inquisitive and eager to be around people.

No, we don't know how Becky's story began, but we now know how it will end because Becky has gone home with a wonderful, loving family who will show her compassion and give her the love and care she deserves in her final years, however many she has. She will get rides in the car, trips to the park and more than enough cuddles to keep her going-all easy enough to provide. In return, she will teach her new family and others the lesson that old does not mean useless and that even old dogs give unconditional love.

April Adoptions!

This month, six dogs and two cats found new homes! We are so excited for them to be joining their new families! 

Please click on the image to view a larger version. 

Dawson is a three-year-old shepherd/husky cross who loves to play and be active, but he also loves to cuddle—he's basically the whole package, which is why we are not surprised that his foster family fell in love and decided to make him a permanent member of the family.

Wyatt is an Australian cattle dog/blue heeler mix. Wyatt was found as a stray and will not get much bigger than he is now, and currently he weighs about 25 pounds. Wyatt is very affectionate and is known to cuddle up to humans and other dogs. He was not up for adoption for that long, which wasn't surprising. Everyone who meets Wyatt instantly becomes a fan!

Justice and Thornton were featured in our "Cats of TAGS" post a couple of months ago, and we are excited to announce that this mother-and-son pairing have been adopted together. Justice is a beautiful tabby who was rescued by TAGS after being found under the Oshawa Court House. She gave birth to a litter of kittens not long after that, and all but Thornton found homes. Now, these two are inseparable and love to cuddle and play.

June Bug (nicknamed Joobie) is an energetic, fun-loving Shetland sheepdog/beagle mix. She loves other dogs and is very smart, so she's already learned a lot since TAGS first rescued her. She's quick to give kisses and always has her tail wagging, so when her new family met her, they just knew she was the one they were looking for all along.

Squirrely is a 12-year-old hound mix. This lady's life has changed a lot in a short period of time, so we are very happy for her that she has found a new home and that things will settle down for her. Squirrely lived with the same family for a long time, but she and her sister, Sarah, found themselves at the pound when their family lost their home and could no longer take care of them. Both of these seniors were confused and scared, but then they were rescued by TAGS and put into the foster system. Unfortunately, Sarah had a massive cancerous tumour and the tough decision was made to euthanize her. Squirrely has been a trooper throughout all of it and remains healthy, with clear eyes and a spring in her step. We are so happy that she has been adopted into a great home with a family who will love her for the rest of her days.

Violet is a one-year-old border collie mix. Violet is a beautiful and gentle dog who loves to play. She's even happy to play on her own if another dog isn't around. She loves to run and spend time outside, and loves belly rubs! Violet just joined the TAGS program at the end of March, and she's already been adopted. We love when this happens!

Raggs is a 10-year-old cairn terrier mix who is pretty energetic for his age and loves to snuggle. He gets along with dogs, cats and kids and has a lot of love to give to everyone! This adorable guy had a family he loved very much, but they took him to the pound with the explanation that he was getting too old for them. We are very happy that this sweet guy has been given the second chance he deserves!

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Congratulations to all the dogs and cats who were adopted in April! We are so excited for all our furry friends and their new families! Personally, I am especially happy for our senior dogs, Squirrely and Raggs, as it can be difficult for seniors to find homes. If you are interested in adopting a senior but aren't sure what to expect, you can read about one of our volunteer's personal experiences. 

Age Is Only a Number

When we started looking for a new dog, we had no intention of adopting a senior. Only 10 months before, but feeling way more recent, we’d experienced the tail end of years of watching our senior dog, Roxie, decline, until we ultimately had to make that tough decision all pet owners dread.

Roxie on her last day with us.

So when we were ready to bring another dog into our house, we bypassed all the listings for older dogs and set the maximum age of our next dog at two years—old enough to be housebroken and beyond the destructive puppy stage yet young enough to spend many, many years with us. We searched Petfinder.com, finding many possibilities but settling on a year-old Basenji mix named Amy who was available through TAGS. We wanted to meet her right away, so I called the TAGS phone number to see if it could be arranged. Fortunately for us, Amy was being shown at PetSmart that day. We had less than an hour, though, before TAGS would be packing up.

We left the house right away and raced from north Ajax to south Whitby to meet our next baby. Amy was a beautiful girl, to be sure, but once we were there, it was the sweet-looking, shivering beagle in the next crate who tugged at our heartstrings.

“How old is she?” we asked the volunteer.

“Judging by her teeth, the vet estimated her to be five,” she said.

My husband and I looked at each other. Five. Possibly middle-aged already. Too old.

Cora's adoption picture

But after looking into her slightly cloudy eyes that she averted from us nervously, I just had to ask more about her. Her rescuer, we learned, had named her Cora. She was a death-row rescue from Kentucky, had been in the program for only two weeks and was a very timid dog who would need some time to adjust to new people. My heart ached for her.

But five!

It was hard leaving Cora that day even though we struggled to get her to interact with us—she was just so timid. But once we were in the car and on our way home, I asked my husband, “What do you think?” feeling certain he’d echo my fears of (1) her being too old and (2) her questionable ability to bond with us. But I so hoped he'd see, as I did, that we could do right by her—and that age really is irrelevant after all.

“I think she’s a lot older than five,” he said tentatively. Yes, she did look older than five.

“And so you think we shouldn’t consider her?” I tried to hide my disappointment.

Pecan is one of the senior dogs
currently up for adoption through TAGS.

He hesitated. “I think we could give her a great home,” he said. He added that he was worried about my concerns about her age but that he thought we should apply to adopt her. She’d gotten to him, too! I was thrilled!

We rushed home, filled out the application, followed up almost immediately with a phone call and had a home visit just two days after our first meeting. A week to the day after our seeing Cora at PetSmart, we picked her up (and her new stepbrother, Dusty, who TAGS recommended to be a good companion for her) for her extended visit, and she’s been with us ever since!

Once our vet met Cora, he confirmed our suspicions about her age. He felt that although her teeth did indeed suggest five, her body condition, cloudy eyes, energy level, and facial whiteness hinted at her being closer to ten. Even this soon after her adoption, we shrugged it off. The day we met her, we had learned a great lesson: Age really doesn’t matter when it comes to finding the dog of your heart. And in Cora, we certainly found that.

Some of the advantages we've found of adopting an older dog are these:

·         Their energy comes in spurts, rather than being constant.

·         They have less interest in chewing slippers, remote controls, blankets, etc.

·         Often, their greatest joy is just spending couch time with you.

·         They often already have some training behind them, and even if they don’t, it’s true that you can teach an old dog new tricks. (We take Cora to agility lessons!)

·         It’s incredibly rewarding to give a senior (i.e., “less adoptable”) dog a loving home.

So if you’re looking for your next pet, don’t discount the older ones. They have so much love to give, and it just may be a senior dog who can wheedle his or her way into your heart, if just given a chance.