From commentor Tony S:
My wife and I were dog owners as kids. When we moved to our house here in Peekskill in 1999, the place came with a dog. The place was an estate sale, and we insisted the super-elder beagle, Gypsy, be part of the package…
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Since then, we’ve tried to adopt older dogs whenever possible. We find them much easier to deal with than puppies, and quite grateful. We’ve had 11 dogs in 10 years. People ask us how we can deal with the short time we have with the senior dogs, but it’s much more painful thinking of them trapped in some shelter somewhere, or put to death simply because they’re not wanted.
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Here’s a pic of the current crowd. From left to right, they’re:
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Snarls Barkly, our most recent arrival, who is an estimated 9 years old and was left in front of a police precinct in the South Bronx at 4:00 am on the night of February 14th in a condition the ASPA described as “filthy,” with a broken tail, infected ears and a large tumor on one leg. It was three weeks before he would get on our bed; he spent most his time until then lying on piles of leaves in our backyard. Now he spends 90% of his time cuddled between our pillows.
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Field Marshal Montgomery Marshal Fields. Monty was in a family where the father died suddenly when his replacement heart valve failed. He went from having run of the house to being locked in a cage 14 hours a day, and cracked up in the process. He has papers of some kind, and is our only purebred. His favorite game is “I love you, don’t touch me. OK, now you can pet me. But I’ll scream.”
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Twinkle Toes. Twinkles was found tied to a lamp post on our city’s main street. She’d been there so long her paws were bloody. By virtue of seniority, she is our home’s alpha, and she knows it. She is also a differently abled puppy. She must have been hit by a car at some point. Her front paw is held together with a bolt, and her back leg is held together with a wire. Must have cost a bunch to fix her, and she wound up on the street.
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Jessicur Lynch. You can guess the time we got Jessicur. Her breed was listed as a mountain cur. She’s our guest terrier. She was sent to kill shelter in West Virginia for slaughtering chickens. Now she likes to leave dead mice as gifts for us on our bed. She’s the youngest dog we’ve adopted, and one of the craziest. I have the scars to prove it.
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When people are adopting dogs, they should really think of seniors. They’ve wound up abandoned through no fault of their own and deserve homes.
(Keep those photos & stories coming, folks — we need the respite! And why have I not received any cat pictures yet?)
Yutsano
Obligatory PUPPEH!!
That is quite a crowd there too, almost a wolfpack. A lot of kisses go on in that house, and doubly cool that they are all rescues.
But…thread needs more pengie. Who knew they could be so mean to innocent creatures?
TuiMel
Just when I am tempted to feel despair about the ignorance and cruelty in the world, a little gem like this crops up. Bravo to Tony S. and all the dog rescuers who walk among us.
Wannabe Speechwriter
Unrelated, has this been brought up because I couldn’t help but laugh from the sheer stupidity of this-
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201008160016
Kate
Alas, I have no cat pictures to share. About 5 years ago my friend stole the kitten I was supposed to get from the principal of our kids’ school when she took three instead of just two kittens. All out of kittehs, sorry, says the principal.
Serves her right, the one she stole from me is her emergency room kitteh, having been hit by a car, stung inside the throat by a bee he swallowed and sewing his paw to the Christmas stocking she was making on the sewing machine, trying to catch the shiny, flying needle. ( he’s fine, he’s still got 6 lives left)
I really had my heart set on a new kitteh, having just lost my favorite tuxedo cat to kidney disease. So when I heard about a woman in the neighborhood qho had two available, I went to see them.
Their owner, an older woman, had just died and her family were either not cat people or allergic, I was never quite clear. Those poor kittehs were left alone for weeks at a time with a bag of food and the bathtub faucet set on trickle. When the bag was empty they’d rip open another one and throw it in the house.
One was a 20 lb, big boned AND fat grey and white male with a Kitler moustache. His name was Lucky but the neighborhood kids called him Fat Louie. He was just a sweetheart, as mellow as cats come. my son fell instantly in love. He was 8 years old.
The other was an orange tabby, which I had always wanted. When we went to meet them, he was held tight by a family member. He was extremely shy, had a nick in one ear and was called Sunny. He tried to melt into her sweater, looking everywhere but at me. There was something about his neediness – I fell, hard, for him.
We took them both. Our vet was also the old woman’s vet, so we knew what they knew of their history. We re-named Sunny Nick Danger because of his rakish ear, and later added Gordon Lightfoot as his middle name, onaccounta his stealth. It took almost five years for him to trust me enough to purr. I almost cried this weekend when we came him from a short trip and he came to me, purring, for pets.
We have quite a menagerie and when we had to move into a smaller house this spring, our landlady limited us to two cats, along with our two dogs. I could not find a home for Nicky, so we brought him with us. (shhhhh!). His stealth has come in quite handy.
Lucky sleeps with my son, Nicky used to sleep under my side of the bed but since we came home this weekend, he sleeps on top of the GED, at my feet.
Linda Featheringill
Elderly animals are a delight. We usually have some older cats around, usually because they have been with us for some time. Rescues, all of them.
By the time they reach an older age – 16 or older – we have learned how to communicate and it is easier to give them what they want.
But you are doing a wonderful job with the doggies. Really good karma, there. Enjoy.
Kate
Nicky doesn’t really sleep on the GED. He sleeps on the bed. iPad has a Nazi auto-replace spell checker. You have to watch it like a hawk, all the time.
Violet
Aww…look at all the doggies! They look so bright and interested in everything. You do a great service, Tony, helping all those lovely elder dogs.
phillygirl
No cat pix from me because I can’t figure out how to post any. But them senior catz are deserving and grateful, too. I got my Benny from some rescue people who were at their wits’ end. Benny, age and history kind of mysterious, performed miserably on adoption days, cowering in the back of his cage and trembling when touched. Also, he was fat, and thus, like chunkier senior humans, not so visually appealing. No matter! After hiding under a rug (!) in my house for a week, he slowly began turning into a pet. Within a few months, he was a cuddler, a licker, and a belly-rub enthusiast. Mostly, these guys just need to feel safe. Then they will reward you richly, with devotion and sometimes with small, dead rodents. Get to yer shelter tomorrow.
Violet
@Kate:
Heh. I was wondering about that. Wondered what kind of fabulous Graduate Equivalency Degree you had that made your kitty all of a sudden want to sleep on top of it. LOL.
Violet
@phillygirl:
That’s true of a lot of us, I think.
Lucky Star
Tony S, you and your wife are wonderful. Pleasure seeing the beagles/mixes and knowing they have such good lives.
Great idea to rescue senior dogs, but how do you manage the vet bills? Only downside to late in life dogs. (That and knowing that your time is coming to an end.)
Ruckus
Bud is my fifth dog and first rescue. Somewhere about 11 and smartest of all that I’ve had. He’s fitting in nicely, but still has a bit of separation anxiety. He’s a great dog and seems to know a large number of commands/suggestions but he is also set in his ways, just like most of us old farts.
This has been one of the best things I ever did, rescuing an older dog. For both me and Bud. Our time together may not end up being nearly as long as starting with a puppy, but I don’t care. It’s the time I have, not the time I wish I had.
Jebediah
Tony – your stories of these pup’s travails had me clutching my head, even knowing that there was a happy ending for them. Senior critters deserve love and security, too. You deserve a big shiny prize of some kind.
Cliff
Molly says: “Training?! Is it really worth it!?” (Aaaarghhh, HotdogBits!)
http://mollymaesden.blogspot.com/2010/08/leave-it-training.html
hamletta
I realize they’re canines of A Certain Age, but…Puppies!!!!
I’ve been in my house 20 years, and I’ve always had kitties who lasted about three years before getting run over or eated by the neighborhood doggies, God rest their souls.
But not Miss Sophia.
I was kitty-less back in 1998, and it was getting late in the fall, and the mice were coming out of the walls and doing little “neener, neener” dances and crapping all over my kitchen cabinets.
Then my friend’s daughter called me one day: “I hear you have a mouse problem.”
She was living in some tiny apartment where she couldn’t have pets, and she’d found a tiny tuxedo kitty. She named her Sophia, because she was a ghetto kitty. (I don’t get it, either.)
Sophia’s been my little buddy ever since, and we’ve been through a lot together. She’s been up to DC to visit my family, and my stepdad was heartbroken when Independence Air went out of business and I couldn’t bring his girlfriend to visit anymore.
We fuss at each other like Oscar and Felix, and I wouldn’t trade her for all the gold in Ft. Knox.
Anne Laurie
@phillygirl: If you can email me pics, I will use them in a future post. My email addy is near the top of the right-hand column here.
Benny sounds like a dollbaby — I love big fat cats!
Mike Kay
O.T.
This is tooooo rich.
I was reading Swing State project, and a post mentioned how one of MYDD contributors had left. So I went over to shell of a sight to discover that Jerome F’ing Armstrong (co-author with Markos of “Crashing the Gates”) opposes the New York Mosque and is quoting Commentary magazine.
Hahahahahahhhahahahhahahh.
http://twitter.com/jeromearmstrong/status/21526716390
http://twitter.com/jeromearmstrong/status/21530048127
http://twitter.com/jeromearmstrong/status/21536339651
http://twitter.com/jeromearmstrong/status/21542223916
A this asshole is still considered an elite and darling of the bloggerotti.
I wonder if Markos has to take a shower every time he thinks of his partnership with asstrong.
Mike Kay
O.T.
This is tooooo rich.
I was reading Swing State project, and a post mentioned how one of MYDD contributors had left. So I went over to shell of a sight to discover that Jerome F’ing Armstrong (co-author with Markos of “Crashing the Gates”) opposes the New York Mosque and is quoting Commentary magazine.
Hahahahahahhhahahahhahahh.
http://twitter.com/jeromearmstrong/status/21526716390
A this ahole is still considered an elite and darling of the bloggerotti.
Mike Kay
I wonder if Markos has to take a shower every time he thinks of his partnership with asstrong.
Jewish Steel
I was pointed to this load of ol’ rubbish via Wonkette:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/08/just_how_smart_is_obama_1.html
It’s spittle flecked thesis is not the interesting part. Reading through the comments I found the various posters had a sort of robotic tone going. Then it struck me that many of the posts I read had an eerily similar prose style. I suspect that many of them come from the same hand
Am I naïve to not know about some kind of comment ginning thing going on in the blogoverse?
Or is the whole thing just my imagination? Everyone here seems extra savvy. I thought someone might know.
asiangrrlMN
Aw, the pic and the stories made me smile and tear up at the same time. Tony S., you and your wife are to be commended for taking in older dogs.
My boys were older when I adopted them. Nine months. And black. As much as I love kittens, I will always adopt older black cats (partly because kittens are too energetic) because I know they often get overlooked.
@Cliff: Molly’s looking sooooo good! I hope she finally got to eat her hot dog bits.
@Jewish Steel: I tried to read the comments, but I could not. Sorry. I hope someone with more fortitude can help you out.
Batocchio
Duh. Cats have much better things to do than have their pictures taken.
stuckinred
The Senior Dog Project
“Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog.”
– Sydney Jeanne Seward
Rosalita
what an awesome read first thing in the morning! wonderful doggies and wonderful Tony for giving them a home and love.
Phyllis
I’m usually not a big fan of cutesy animal names, but Field Marshall Montgomery Marshal Fields is a win. What a fab menagerie. Blessings to you and yours for giving those guys a family.
ChrisS
Good job on the rescue. Love the dogs. Puppies would never line up for a photo like that. Too much interesting shit going on.
My special ladyfriend and I pick up our rescue pup on Sunday. Can’t wait. It’ll be my first dog in forever. He’s a cute little bastard, smart as a whip, too.
J.A.F. Rusty Shackleford
Those aren’t pillows!
JCT
Wow, Tony – what a pack of beagle love! I’m reading this crashed out in our RV with my own pack of beagies. We actually bought the RV because we couldn’t bear to leave them behind.
I am amazed at your fortitude, we rescued our first beagle mix a few years ago – supposedly for our young son, but Shadow bonded to my husband and we decided to adopt a sister for her. I went to a rescue day at a vet to get a young beagle, only to fall in love with a scrawny, scarred old girl named Trixie. No one was paying any attention to her, but my daughter noticed that as Trixie walked up to the puppy cages they all ran to her like she was their mother- no matter what the breed. When we asked about her the rescue folks were so thrilled, they thought she would never be picked. She had been found by the side of the road, apparently abandoned by one of the fucking puppy mills in the area. It is hard to describe how beat-up she looked, when I brought my husband out to pick her up he looked at me like I had lost my mind. She was of course, a fabulous dog, adored everyone , slept curled up with my son every night in their private ” beagle pile” and just adored chew toys – I think the poor sweetheart had never had toys before, she used to hide them in a pile under our bed. 3 months of love and joy later she became a little short of breath and by the end of the month we had to have her put down while I held her because she had metastatic mammary gland tumors thanks to her previous life as a puppy machine. For months we were finding hidden toys. 8 years later we still have her purple leash and collar. Just last night the whole family was talking about her, while we were surrounded by our current beagles – both of whom sleep in our bed, one with her head on the pillow like a baby.
Russell
Thank you for saving those dogs. I own 2 beagles, and they are so sensitive and contemplative, its a crime they so often end their lives at a pound. I’ve read that corporations like to use them in cruel studies because of their docile nature and smaller size: things like breaking their bones, or hooking them up to smoking machines, your basic barbaric wanton cruelty!
WereBear
@JCT: Oh, JCT, I teared up. Your story combines the worst, and best, of adopting seniors.
Some people would look at it and say, “Four months! My heart can’t take it!”
And maybe not.
But if your heart is big enough, look at what it can do.
demo woman
@JCT: I also teared up. Although Trixie only had a few months with you, she found love.
debit
Tony, bless you. Older animals can be a challenge, but they are so worth it. My girl Chloe spent six months waiting to be adopted because no one wanted a nine year old. She brings me joy every day.
@JCT: I have a dog and two cats trying to get on my lap and comfort me because of the tears. Thank you for giving Trixie a family of her own before she had to go.
JCT
@WereBear:
@demo woman
Thanks guys, well I actually ended a bit abruptly because I couldn’t see to type – amazing after something like 8 years, still remember that sweet dog so vividly, she was a joy right up until the end. My husband is a tough guy – went through 6 months of nasty chemo followed by 8 months of complications this past year without a complaint or tear. Last night he was the first to go teary remembering Trix and I always tell him what you said, demo woman, she went out in a blaze of love.
I wish I could say we rescued another dog right away, but since my poor 8-yr-old was so heartbroken at the time, we bought a beagle from a local show breeder (beagles have real genetic issues and I wanted to know the dog’s background). Sweet as the day is long, still loves her “boy” the best- just can’t fit in the bed with him because he is now 16 and big. She’s perched over my shoulder on the couch as I type. She’s the one who sleeps between us on her own pillow. Snoring. And if we are late to bed she runs around the house wreaking havoc to get our attention.
From now on it will be rescues all the way- tons of failed hunting beagles out there!
But I remain amazed at Tony’s fortitude.
greennotGreen
As a person who works in animal rescue, I’d like to point out that Tony S’s story aside, senior dogs do not necessarily come with any health or behavioral issues. Yes, I’ve fostered dogs who’ve suffered abuse and neglect; almost always they are amazingly resilient (short memories!) and, given the right training, will adapt to their new stable homes just like dogs who haven’t been traumatized. The advantage of a mature dog is that you see what you get. A puppy may not grow up like you expect it to (my third dog was supposed to be about 30 pounds grown – 55 pounds and not overweight!)
No matter what age pet you want, please consider a rescue!
elmo
About six or seven months ago, my partner found an ancient, ancient Anatolian Shepherd collapsed on the side of the road. Another woman stopped as well, and between them they managed to get the dog into our minivan. She was emaciated, in obvious pain from bad hips, and had a large swelling on one leg that we thought was probably osteosarcoma (bone cancer). It’s common in large dogs of that age.
They went door to door for a mile in every direction. Nobody knew the dog.
When I got home, she was in the kitchen. She could get up on her feet only with help, but as soon as a face was in range, it was time for major doggy kisses and snuffles. Her tail thumped constantly against the floor. We called her Foo Dog.
Partner took her to a local rescue shelter (not animal control) where a volunteer vet could look her over and give her pain meds. She stayed there for observation for a couple of days, and then came home with us. We fully intended to give her a home for as long as she lasted.
When I got up the next morning, my partner was crying on the couch. I hadn’t noticed her get up in the night, but she had had a bad feeling and gone into the kitchen to be with Foo. About two hours later, Foo had died in her arms — clean, warm, loved, comfortable, and free from pain.
WereBear
Yes, adopting seniors means less time with them. But it sure is quality time; as mentioned earlier in this thread, they pick up things very fast and bring a lot of wisdom to the table.
In any case… we don’t know how long we have any time. That kitten could be gone at three… none of us know when we pick them.
Likewise, health issues; many seniors just fade one day, with no fanfare. Depends on the breed(s) involved. They can be lively right up to the end. Or not.
At any age.
TaMara (BHF)
Tony S and family deserve today’s pet angel award. Great stories.
WereBear
@elmo: That was a beautiful thing she did.
SBJules
@Phyllis:
I didn’t know I liked cutesy names either, but I love Snarls Barkley :)
Carnacki
We adopted a senior dog at a shelter two in 2007 — Anne I sent you the story and photo — and a week later she scared off a burglar breaking into my 9 year old daughter’s bedroom in the dead of night. The sheriff’s deputies figured the burglar had probably staked out the house and was surprised since we had just adopted the dog until 100 pounds of loyal lab-shepherd mix came charging at him.
We only had Lucy for two years. About a year ago she died and it was so painful I still get teary eyed thinking about her. Adopting her was easily one of the best decisions I ever made in my life though our time was short together.
My love to all who adopt senior cats and dogs.
Dog is My Copilot
We adopted our Pom, Millie, through Old Dog Haven in Lake Stevens, WA. We have had her three years now. A volunteer with ODH plucked one frightened little dog out of a shelter. Don’t know how she ended up there, but she was in bad shape – a herniated uterus, bad skin infection, and only two teeth left (which have since fallen out). It’s likely she came from a puppy mill situation. A kind ODH volunteer nursed her back to health until she was ready for adoption. We had just lost our Pom of 14 years to heart failure a couple months prior and we felt we needed to help another dog in her memory. When ODH told us about Millie, we had to meet her. It was love at first sight. When she first came home with us, she was so stressed out she couldn’t even let herself relax. She kept her front legs stiff while she was falling asleep. She could not lie down and relax. It took her over a year to trust us to let us pick her up. We just left her alone and let our other dogs show her that humans weren’t so bad. She eventually came around and she walks up to us all the time with tail wagging now. She still has her fears, but she’s worlds better than when we first brought her home. It’s like she’s a different dog. Giving senior dogs a second chance is very rewarding and I’m glad there are groups out there like Old Dog Haven that help these deserving animals.
farmette
A few years back we adopted an older dog from the Humane Society in our town. He was a beagle and we named him Bailey. Bailey was found on a highway, dirty and starved. The shelter was full of old Bailey type dogs because once hunting dogs get old and don’t hunt as well as the young pups they are often abandoned. The shelter folks told us he was probably 6-8 years old. Our vet said he was quite a bit older than that. Well, Bailey graced our lives for two years and what a love he was! I would adopt an old dog again without hesitation. Bailey had a great last two years of his life and we had the best dog ever.
Lenny
We adopted our beagle Lenny after seeing him on the internet at Petfinders.com. He had been passed around and abused and was on his final trip to the animal shelter when the woman who runs the website saw him and cajoled the people who had him to give Lenny to her instead of the animal shelter. They said Lenny was about 4 years old at the time, but he was obviously older than that. Lenny’s been with us for about 6 years now, and we figure he’s probably about 13 by now. He came with some issues, but it was such a joy seeing him come out of his shell and emerge as a happy, contented, loving fellow. He’s slowed down considerably in the last couple months and we’re not sure how much longer he’ll be around. God bless you and your wife, Tony S.
Phoebe
@Phyllis: Yeah. I almost want to change my name to that.
Woodrowfan
We have 2 rescues, one was a puppy and one was 7 (he’s 8 now). And yeah, we love them both but our older dog is my big buddy. (he’s a fox terrier). His last owners lost their home due to foreclosure. We don;t know how many homes he’s had but we love them both dearly. And yes, I highly recommend adopting rescues!
OK, need to go love up the dogs now…
Russ
Be sure the beagles get walks in: they tend towards obesity, and possible diabetes.
mrmobi
That’s a great looking pack of doggietude, Tony S! Bless you and your wife for taking care of elder dogs. I hard to believe that people mistreat dogs after all they give to us.
I teared up looking at that photo, as my beloved dog Brindle, a 17 year, 4 month old Shih T’zu, died July 5th. We’re still very sad, and miss him terribly.
I can also vouch for how loving older dogs are. While Brindle was healthy and vibrant for almost all of his life, as he slowed down near the end, the thing that changed was he loved to cuddle more. He’d push his head into my armpit and grunt in the cutest way imaginable.
The pain of loss is still fresh and we aren’t ready for another dog right now, but looking at that wonderful picture makes me think we might consider an elder dog from a shelter when and if the time comes. Thank you again Tony S. It is a lovely thing that you and your family are doing.
Gustopher
Adopting a senior cat is a good way to reduce the commitment from 15-20 years, to a more manageable 5-10.
(If you really want to reduce commitment, there are Feline Leukemia positive cats who desperately need homes, and generally won’t live for more than two years!)
And they are less destructive in their second decade. Just less energy, and more cuddly.
You can even find one that has been declawed, if you so prefer, and not be responsible for the cruel procedure — just benefit from the lack of claws and less shredded furniture.
And, all kittens are cute, but not all cats are cute. If you want to make sure you have a cute cat, you have to adopt a cat.
Jebediah
If anyone is still on the fence after reading these stories, let me add to the chorus – adopting/rescuing a “short timer” is very rewarding. Painful, yes, but rewarding. We had a dog show up at our house so starved she could barely walk, covered in scars, with one canine tooth broken in half the long way. (We think she may have been a dogfighting bait dog.) She had issues, mostly uncontrollable aggression with other dogs (but not Otto and one friend’s puppy) and we only had her about four months. Her ashes are on the shelf next to Daisy and Hoover, and I still get very sad when I think about her, but we take solace knowing that for those four months she was coddled and loved and happy and even got to be friends with another dog.
Dog-kind gives us so much – any of you who think you can handle it, please consider a senior or otherwise short-timer. Yes, you have to say good bye too early, but isn’t it always too early?
And think of the karma you’ll earn…
Tony S
Thanks, everyone for all the comments.
As for your questions, yes, the vet bills can be staggering. I have a friend who spent $3,500 on her purebred dog. I laughed at that until I realized that we’d spent about the same amount on Twinkles, who crashed twice from her Addison’s disease and spent a week in the Doggie ICU each time.
At the same time, things haven’t been bad the last couple of years, with relatively few emergencies and no cremations needed.
As for the short life span, the longest we’ve had a dog is seven years. The shortest was about a week and a half. The poor pup had such a bad case of heartworm that the treatment killed her.
We live in a Victorian home, so we have a small altar in a corner of our front parlor with seven cans of ashes. Each can has a retired dog collar wrapped around it.