Seniors for Seniors

I recently read a story about a dog who had to go live in a shelter because his human could not afford to keep her.  Her human is old and got sick so he had to go live in a place where he could not have a big dog. My heart broke. But this story had a sort of happy ending.

She was a lucky dog because she got adopted right away. She is a big dog with lots of energy so she is going to live in a house that has children and a big yard. Lots of dogs aren't so lucky. Especially older dogs. Older dogs that end up in shelters have a hard time getting adopted.

That is so sad. Older dogs have lots and lots of love to give and there are lots of good things about older dogs. They are probably already house broken, leash trained and know basic commands like stay and sit. Oh, and old dogs can learn new tricks!

Older dogs aren't as energetic as puppies. They like to go for walks but they don't need to play, play, play all day long. They are happy to sit by your side and nap.

Older dogs make good companions for every body but especially for older people. There are even programs that help older people adopt older dogs! Some shelters give a discount or even wave the adoption fee for senior humans who adopt senior pets. Our vet gives a discount to Mom because she is old.

My Grandmom lives in a community for older people. It's a really nice place because, unlike some places, the people who live there can have pets.

The houses/apartments are small so there are rules about how big a pet can be. That's okay. There are lots of small dogs looking for homes.

So, if you are “getting older” and thinking you should not get another dog because you might need to move into a smaller house or apartment, think about getting a smaller senior dog.

Senior cats make excellent companions too!

Adopt a senior…. I know he or she will be your bestest friend.

Love,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion. Looking for a super gift for your favorite pet? Check out the huge selection of gift baskets at pawpalsboutique.com I know they'll love it!

The American Dream - Dog Version

Hi!  DixieLee here, filling in for Zeva while she works on our new Facebook page.  I joined the family business when I was rescued and adopted last summer.  I can’t believe it’s been a whole year! It’s been a struggle, but it has been worth it.

 I know lots of you dogs out there are rescues and I’m sure many of you share my story. We’re the lucky ones.  I lived on the streets in rural South Carolina for a long time.  One day while I was begging for food, a nice lady rescued me and fostered me until I got adopted.  My life before being rescued was so bad I don’t like to think about it, never mind talk about it.  Let’s just say the scars you can see aren’t the only ones I have.

 I was full of bugs when I was rescued.  There were all kinds of bugs but the worst bugs were the heartworm kind.  The nice lady and the vet helped me to get rid of them all.  It was hard because I had to get shots with these HUGE needles that made me not feel good and I couldn’t play with the other dogs.

 I thought living with the nice foster lady was going great until she said I had to go live at another place.  I thought I had been a good dog and didn’t understand why the other two dogs got to stay and I had to leave.  Maybe it was because I was full of bugs.  I was very sad.

 We went in the car and drove for days, all the way up to Massachusetts where I got left with another nice lady who only had one dog.  Maybe there’s a rule about only having two dogs in the house that I didn’t know about.  I tried to be good but then I had to go to another vet and get more shots and get my tummy cut.  Again, I had to stay in a crate and not play for a long, long time.  I began to think that the life of a dog wasn’t such a good one.  I wished I had been born a human.

 I was only at the adopted house a short time and I got moved again.  This time the two humans and the dog came with me.  I was so sad I didn’t want to do what I was told.   I was sure if I started acting nice, like it did with the foster lady, I would be sent away and I wanted to stay. 

 

I had lots of yummy food and all sorts of toys.  I got to sleep in a warm bed at night and I had another dog to play with.  Zeva kept telling me it was okay but I didn’t believe her because the man who I now call Dad said if I wasn’t good I was going to go to the pound.  I didn't know what a pound was but it didn't sound good.  Zeva said he didn’t mean it but he sure sounded like it when I chewed his glasses up or dug that big hole that made the outside stairs fall down.

 Like I said, it’s been a struggle but now I have a good job, I’m the Assistant Product Tester, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to get to stay with this Mom and Dad and Zeva.  I still have the pretty collar and soft blanket the nice rescue lady gave me but now I have a bowl, leash and crate all of my very own.  I’m beginning to think that life as a dog is kind of good after all.

 

I would like to hear your rescue story.  You can write to me here.

 

Your new friend and Zeva's little sister,

 DixieLee

 

P.S.  I forgot to say we would like you to stop by our new Facebook page Laurel Mountain Basket Company Pet Division.  Thanks.

Rescue Me

October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.  According to the US Humane Society an estimated 2.7 million healthy shelter pets are not adopted each year, and only about 30 percent of pets in homes come from shelters and rescues.  Do you know what happens to the 2.7 million healthy pets that are not adopted?  They get euthanized.  Euthanized is a nice word for KILLED.

I know, not everyone can adopt a pet.  There are already two of us adopted dogs living in our house and that is all we have room for.  But there are lots of things we can do to help shelters and hopefully get more pets adopted.

The big word is DONATE.  When people hear that word they automatically think money but there are so many other ways to donate.

Donate your TIME.  Volunteer to work at a local shelter.  You could walk the dogs or stuff envelopes for a mailing campaign.  You could donate your time assisting at a fund raising event.  You could donate your time hosting a collection drive or yard sale to benefit the shelter.

Donate your SKILLS.  Are you an amateur or professional photographer?  Donate your skills and take photos of the pets to be put on the shelter’s website or on Petfinder.com.  Have a way with words?  Help write copy for the newsletter or fund raising materials.

Donate your STUFF.  Donate out grown collars and leashes, crates, beds, or gently used toys your dog doesn’t play with.  Pet food is always welcome.  Donate office supplies, postage stamps, laundry detergent and cleaning supplies (scent free is best) and paper towels.   Your old towels can be used to dry pets after baths and your old blankets make wonderful warm beds.  Donate your olds newspapers.  The shelter can use them to line cages or shred them for litter boxes.

Donate your HOME.  It takes a very special person to foster pets.  Are you one?

Oh yeah…. You can donate MONEY.  Support fund raisers and events designed to help your local shelter or you can write a nice big check.

Several times a year my company donates part of the profits from our Pet Gift Baskets to the local shelter.  It’s easy.

So, now you know you don’t have to adopt a shelter pet to help.  If you know other ways, let me know.

Your friend,

Zeva

 

P.S. Blatant self-promotion.  Our To The Rescue Gift Basket has is the perfect way to welcome a new dog into your home.

 

Senior's Have Class

"Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog." - Sydney Jeanne Seward

Being very active in social media, I follow a lot of dog blogs, dog rescue and adoption groups on FaceBook.  I am always sad to see so many dogs who don’t have furever homes and most sad that lots of older dogs never get adopted at all.

I know, puppies are cute.  But I have to tell you, puppies can be a pain in the butt.   I mean, we adopted my sister Dixie.  She’s not a baby but she’s just out of puppyhood and I’ll tell you, what a handful.  She runs, and plays and chews constantly.  Good thing she likes old bones and not the furniture.

Now, if we adopted a Senior Dog, he or she would be much quieter.  They would walk nicely, not run a hundred miles an hour everywhere.  They would also take more naps.

When we got Dixie, she didn’t have all of her shots yet and she wasn’t spayed.  It costs a lot of money to get a dog spayed and to have all of their shots.  Many older dogs that are turned in to the shelters already have had their shots and have been spayed or neutered.

And most shelters don’t charge as much to adopt a Senior Dog as they do to adopt young dogs.

People think that older dogs come with “bad habits”.  Any dog can have “bad habits”.   That’s what dog training is about.  Helping dogs have good habits.  Old dogs LOVE to learn new tricks!

People are afraid to adopt Senior Dogs because they think they will die soon.  That is so not true.  When a dog has a good home, with good food, it can live a long, long time.  Who wouldn’t want to experience unconditional love for 8 or even 5 years?

So, if you or someone you know is thinking about adopting a dog, suggest an older dog.  They make wonderful companions and are very deserving of a good furever home.

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion.  Every dog deserves a little pampering now and then.  That’s why I created Spot’s SPAGift Basket.  It has everything a well groomed pooch needs.