Why Carol Kane Recommends Rescuing Older Dogs If ‘You’re a Slightly Older Person’

16 comments

1. > Kane’s advice to prospective dog owners is to be open to all options. “It’s a wonderful thing if you feel like maybe rescuing an older dog,” she says, “because a lot of people don’t want them, because they want a quote-unquote, ‘cute puppy.’ But a puppy’s not going to stay a puppy, so that’s a bad idea anyway!”

   > Plus, there’s what Kane calls “a lazy thing about getting an older dog… They already mostly have been housebroken and they’re not going to teethe.”

   > Nor do older dogs require as much physical activity as puppies. “If you have a young dog, you really have to walk them long and hard, they need a lot of exercise,” explains Kane. “And if you have an older dog and you’re” — she pauses to find the correct wording — “a slightly older person, there’s a rhythm that fits very well.”

2. I have two rescues—bona fide rescue dogs who needed extensive vet care, professional training, and a lot of re-socialization after being rescued from an abusive home and a puppy mill. They were both 2 when I brought them home.

   They are true labors of love. They are my pride and joy. I worry about them constantly. My girl requires extensive eye care multiple times a day. I am bleeding money to save her eye because I don’t want her to be deprived of half of her vision.

   All of this, and I still can’t fathom adopting or rescuing a puppy. 2 year old Weimaraners with serious trauma histories were close enough to puppies for me.

3. We’re in our 60s and have begun to only adopt senior dogs because we would hate to leave behind dogs in case we die before they do. So many advantages to older dogs. No house-breaking, minimal, if any, training and leisurely walks. Usually they’re more laid-back, happy to just be. Highly recommend. We have three.

4. My first cat was a kitten. The ones I got after him were adults because kittens are exhausting. Also with adult cats the shelter can sometimes tell you a bit about the cat’s personality, is it a cat that will jump on your lap as soon as you sit down or is it a cat that will barely acknowledge your presence? With kittens you never know what you get

5. People who adopt older animals are the best people in the world.

6. This…this is making a lot of sense

7. Adopting an older dog helped my mom process her own aging a lot better. You know how in parks and rec, chris is this obsessive health nut who mentally crumbles when confronted with the fact he is still mortal and no amount of preventative lifestyle measures prevent aging itself? That was basically my mom. She really struggled. The dog had a lot of joint issues which causes mobility issues, but she would just push herself so hard and refused to accept these limitations. And so we would have to keep a close eye to make sure she wasn’t running for too long without breaks or jumping around. My mom was also developing arthritis  and joint issues, it seemed to really help her realize that there’s a point where pushing yourself harder not only doesn’t help, but it can cause more long-run problem

   I’m not “old” yet, but I was going through that late 20/early 30s “you’re not young anymore” crisis. I became aware that I was more concerned with her health than my own — she was raised getting some people food and we didn’t want to totally upend her life, but there were times I didn’t want to give her a nibble because I was eating highly processed foods totally devoid of any value whatsoever. Just calories and preservatives. I bent over backwards to accommodate her limitations (she learned that instead of jumping up or down, she could just signal for me, her human elevator service). I would give her thighs a massage after days she walked more than usual. But meanwhile I couldn’t be bothered to do my own physical therapy exercises for my own  health issues. She eventually developed serious liver problems and all I could think about was if she could have gotten another year of she hadn’t been raised on a “half a hot dog a day” diet, and then thought about the implications when I also ate processed meats constantly, and the cumulative effects of that will likely affect something living to 70+ more than something thats life caps out at 15 years max)

   The only issue I that older dogs incur a lot more expenses. People can justify 3 years of expensive foods and medicines over the 12 years they get with their dog, and at that point they’re so bonded that very few people can just put their dog down or leave them to suffer if there’s any possible way to make it work financially. But it’s a lot harder to sign on to need those things for 2 of the 3 years you’ll get. Especially because most dog owners will have a period of mourning, but then will get another dog. So over that same 12 year period, you could spend 6 to 8 of those years with incredibly high costs. I think a lot more people would be open to adopting older dogs if there wasn’t that cost barrier. 

8. We have been taking in seniors and hospice rescues for 15 years. The only sad part is that they do die of course, but the good part is getting to accompany them in that journey and providing much-needed love, comfort, and veterinary intervention. I have a shelf that we keep our dogs’ ashes on in their little boxes. There are 58 of them right now.

9. A 70+ year old woman that goes to the dog park where I take my boys has a 2 yo Cane Corso that weighs 150 lbs. He’s a sweet boy but she’s always yelling at him. He’s too much dog for her.

10. I adopted a senior once. Great decision!!!

11. Let a younger dog have fun storming the castle!

12. kinda off topic but I keep pet rats. I mostly try to adopt from shelters so I keep an eye on all of the local ones around me. I try and adopt senior rats because no one adopts them. I know I won’t get much time with them (they only live like 3 years) but they’re such intelligent and empathetic animals, they deserve a good send off.

13. Pets are expensive, older pets even more so. I am don’t think I can afford kids let alone older pets. My life will be enriched by bird feeders when I am older, assuming I can buy a place. 💀

14. Just this week i rescued a 10.5 year old dog whose only owner had recently died. Poor fella is partially blind and so confused and lost at the shelter. I know he wont be with me long and im inviting tragedy into my home but how does anyone leave a dog like that in a shelter? He is such a sweet boy.

15. I don’t think I can handle losing yet another pet. I’m not strong enough for adopting seniors. I wish I was.

16. once I retire it’s only senior animals for me. I’ll be traveling less and I won’t be working so I can spend more time with them in their golden years