We put out a call for personal stories honoring your older dogs—and you guys really delivered. Thank you so much for your responses, we’re just sorry we couldn’t print them all! Please read on to meet the awesome cast of characters who truly exemplify that special senior spirit.
Eleanor, age 25
Submitted by Judie Stein of Agoura, CA
Judie Stein adopted Eleanor, her scrappy elder stateswoman and tiny “miracle,” a quarter of a century ago. “She’s a reality show!” Judie enthuses. “We have two standard poodles, an English mastiff and four horses, but Eleanor is still the alpha dog,” she says. “And at 11 pounds and 25 years, she still bounds through the grass like a rabbit and carries around large rawhide bones meant for big dogs!”
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Boris, age 11
Submitted by Debbie Scott of Castle Rock, CO
“Just look at those eyes—you can't help but love him!” says Debbie Scott, doting parent of Boris, an 11-year-old black Lab/pit bull mix. Presumed to be a victim of Denver’s citywide ban on pit bulls, Boris was abandoned and later brought to a shelter in Colorado Springs. Soon after, he became the “patriarch” of Debbie’s pet-loving family. “With the hot days of summer, I hated putting him outside with my younger dogs,” she says, “so I got him a kitty named Kosmo to keep him company inside.” About Boris’s photo, Debbie adds: “This is the face of one who’s had a hard time, but has finally found a home and a place in my heart.”
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Lady, age 8
Submitted by Tom & Debbie Turkington of Paradise, CA
After their beloved Andy, a 13-year-old yellow Lab, passed away, Tom and Debbie Turkington intended to adopt an adolescent pooch at their local shelter. But as so often happens, their plans changed when they met an elderly, light-colored Lab/border collie mix. “Lady just sat there looking at us, as if brought to this exact location by divine intervention,” remembers Debbie. “She is a funny dog. She has poor teeth, bad gas and does not see so well, but she’s perfect in so many ways.”
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Mac, age 9
Submitted by Natalie Lindberg of San Diego, CA
Macaroni, aka Mac, is a sweet senior who’s still looking for a companion to grow old with. According to his foster mom, Natalie, the nine-year-old Lab/shar-pei mix “likes to go for walks, but doesn’t require extra exercise or a six-foot fence. He’s friendly with other dogs, cats and kids, knows basic commands and is always the perfect gentleman.” If you’re interested in adopting this well-mannered fellow, please contact Natalie.
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Maxie, age 10
Submitted by Erin A. Trotti of Garden City, NY
For Erin Trotti and her husband, the adoption bug always seems to strike when they’re on vacation. They returned from their honeymoon in Puerto Rico with a pup named Honey, and two years ago, while relaxing in Myrtle Beach, SC, Erin heard about another abandoned pooch in need back home on Long Island. “The day I received the call about Maxie, I got in touch with the Islip Animal Shelter and told them I was out of state,” Erin says. Upon her return, she and Honey met Maxie, then eight years old. The dogs immediately became fast friends. “Having a younger dog around has kept Maxie youthful! Plus, Honey is no longer lonely and loves her big sister.”
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Miss Eunice Petunia Mastrogiovanni-Bishel, age 14
Submitted by Heidi Mastrogiovanni of Los Angeles, CA
Three years ago, Forgotten Animals of Los Angeles Rescue League board member Heidi Mastrogiovanni received word that a senior beagle—plucked from the streets and suffering from pneumonia—was in need of a foster home. Heidi decided to help out, and the beagle’s foster home became her forever home in record time. “It may sound clichéd, but this is true: The moment I saw her, a voice inside me said, ‘Oh, that’s my dog.’”
Today, 14-year-old Eunice’s arthritis doesn’t stop her from smiling. “We have a stroller for her and she loves to go for long rides with us,” says Heidi. “The most striking thing about Eunice is that she is always happy! Everyone who meets her can’t help but notice her joyous energy.”
*Eunice has great a video! Check it out*
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Buddy, age 13
Submitted by Monique & Ron Taylor of Panama City, FL
One Sunday morning in November 2006, Monique Taylor spotted an old yellow Lab walking around her yard. “I brought out some food for him, and when he was finished eating, we walked around my neighborhood looking for his home,” remembers Monique. “He was just walking right next to me, like he had been trained to do so all his life.” Monique eventually discovered that Buddy had been dumped from a car. “We took him to the vet and he was in rough shape. Now, almost two years later, he's still here, acting like he's the happiest dog in the world. Everyone loves Buddy, and he always returns the favor.”
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Whitley, age 12
Submitted by Deb Deitsch of Celina, OH
It was Christmas 2007, and as a volunteer for Ohio Pug Rescue, Deb Deitsch was asked to foster an 11-year-old pug with pneumonia who had been pulled from a Cincinnati shelter. “Whitley soon became my shadow, following me everywhere. We think she may have belonged to an older woman who passed on or went to live in a nursing home. I just couldn't bear the thought of moving her to another home,” explains Deb. “Today, my little girl is doing very well—ruling the house, telling us when to get up, when to feed her, even when to go to bed!”
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Yogi, age 14
Submitted by Gail Holland of New Orleans, LA
Gail Holland couldn’t stop thinking about Yogi after seeing the pretty pooch online. “Yogi had been found at a rest stop. She was terribly matted, and when they cut her hair off they found a round hole in her!” says Gail. “She had a bullet in her side and a broken leg that was never treated.”
Within a couple of weeks of adopting Yogi—“I think she looks like a bear,” Gail insists—the Holland family had to evacuate for Hurricane Gustav. “We're back home now and she's starting to wag her tail a lot more. It makes me feel good to know that she will never have to tolerate cruelty or abandonment again. I couldn't love her more.”
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Annie Mae, age 10
Submitted by Debbie McDaniel of Boones Mill, VA
Debbie McDaniel welcomed Annie Mae, a senior German shepherd, into her home with open arms. “Someone just up and abandoned her. But she became the third member of my pack of rescued dogs, my gentle giant.” Unfortunately, after only one month in her new home, Annie was shot by a trespassing hunter using a high powered rifle. “She was making her way back home through our forest—it’s private property, and had always been a safe area until that fateful day,” Debbie explains. Although she lost her right hind leg, Annie Mae defied the odds and pulled through her tragedy. “Despite everything, Annie’s strength and determination continue to amaze me. She has taught me to be a stronger person and to persevere even when others may try to stand in your way. She is my miracle dog!”
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Annabelle, age 14
Submitted by Chris & Tara Cullen of Pittsburgh, PA
Annie’s life with the Cullen family began on Father’s Day 2001, when Tara, the only woman in her home, loved the idea of adopting a female companion. “Her name may reflect a dainty, feminine dog, but our Annabelle is 70 pounds of borderline psychotic, endearingly annoying, 100-percent lovable blonde Lab,” says her new papa, Chris. “Annie was seven, had already lived with two separate families, and was doing a second tour at the Pittsburgh Animal Shelter. Today at 14, her hips have weakened and her hearing isn’t what it used to be, but she’s got more personality than ever!”
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Maggie and Hanna, age 13
Submitted by Beverly Cleary of Summerville, SC
Most folks have probably never heard of South Carolina’s state dog, the rare and beautiful Boykin spaniel—but the Cleary family is lucky enough to have two of them! “Seven years ago, our vet told us about a Boykin breeder who wanted to find a good home for a six-year-old female,” remembers Beverly. “We went out to meet Hanna and immediately fell in love. About a year after we got Hanna, the same breeder called asking if we would be interested in taking Hanna's sister, Maggie, and we jumped at the chance. Trust me, an older dog is a beautiful, loving, wonderful companion—we would never part with ours, and wish many more people would visit shelters and take home a senior citizen to live out their lives with love and affection.”
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Mort, age 8
Submitted by Megan Engle of Ypsilanti, MI
“Mort’s photo broke my heart,” admits his new mom, Megan. “It was taken in a county animal shelter, and he looked so terribly sad and without hope. He was listed as a good boy, house trained, and between six and eight years old. We decided we had to meet him immediately.”
Megan and her boyfriend made their adoption of the chocolate Lab official in June 2007. “In the past year, we've really come to know how lucky we are to share our lives with Mort. He has personality and style! This big, drooling goofball would be better characterized as a ‘golden puppy’ than a ‘golden oldie!’”
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Sweetie, age 10
Submitted by Fran Burnett of Lakeside, CA
When a heart attack took Fran’s elderly dog, she knew that another senior was the prescription for filling the hole in her heart. “I began visiting animal adoption centers,” she remembers. “I wanted my new friend to be a small, mature dog who would waggingly greet me when I came home—and already be housebroken and obedient.”
A Chihuahua rescue group pulled the little dog, then named Hampton, from a shelter where he had been dropped off to be euthanized. “His rescuer renamed him Grampy, but he now comes to his third and final name, Sweetie. We bonded at once, and he is rarely out of my sight. He has won my heart. I believe we are both agreeably ready to grow old together.”
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Tessie, age 9
Submitted by Carly Anderson of Phoenix, AZ
“The first time I saw Tessie at the local humane society, it was love at first sight!” reminisces Carly Anderson. “Everyone just walked past her cage with hardly a second glance. Most people want a cute little puppy, not an obese nine-year-old mutt. But I just had to have her! As we were leaving, several shelter volunteers came up to say goodbye to Tessie and tell me what a great dog she is. She's such a sweetheart that they had fallen in love with her, too.”
Now on a healthy diet and exercise regimen—and with her own kiddy pool for beating the Arizona heat—Tessie is thriving in her new home. “She's got lots of energy and spunk for an older dog. When I come home, she's there at the gate to greet me, jumping all over me and giving me kisses! I have decided that from now on, every pet I adopt will be a senior pet. I hope others will read my story and consider adopting a senior pet as well!”
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Foxy, age 10
Submitted by Marlene Aquilano of Valley Cottage, NY
Marlene’s German shepherd, Dakota, and neighborhood dog Foxy were pals for many years. But when Foxy’s owner died suddenly, his sister took custody of Foxy for only a few short months before abandoning her in a desolate park. Marlene was desperate to find the sweet, energetic dog. “I searched through shelters, called local animal control and gave my name to everyone I could in search of Foxy.” Her hard work paid off when Foxy surfaced three weeks later and was reunited with Marlene and Dakota.
Sadly, Dakota passed away in April. “For four months, Dakota and Foxy walked, ate and slept together,” Marlene says. “He let me know it was okay with him to welcome her into our home. Foxy is helping us through our grief process. Life does go in full circle and things do happen for a reason. Of that I am sure.”
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Maggie Mae, age 15
Submitted by Phoebe Mossey of Cape Cod, MA
In 2007, the Mosseys and their young daschund, Venice, drove all the way from Massachusetts to Ohio to adopt 14-year-old Maggie Mae, who had been given up by her former family when she went blind. “When she was first adopted, she was very shy and would shake whenever she was in public,” mom Phoebe recalls. “She soon overcame her fears, and is now a very spunky and happy 15-year-old Cape Cod socialite who loves the attention she gets from her admirers—and everyone who meets her becomes one of her admirers!”
Explaining the photo, Phoebe adds: “I bought Maggie a little string of pearls when I first adopted her, and she gets so excited every time I put them on her that she ‘talks’ and does a little dance because she knows it means she is going someplace fun and exciting. And she recently became a supermodel, having been chosen to participate in the Canine Couture Fashion Show on Nantucket, which raised money for the MSPCA shelter on the island.” Good going, Maggie Mae—we think you look maaahvelous!
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Belle, age 8
Submitted by Minnie Owsley of Carrie, KY
Minnie Owsley was at the shelter looking for a new pal when boxer Belle, formerly used as breeding stock, stole her heart. “She gave me her paw and a lick on my cheek,” says Minnie, “and I knew from that very moment that good things were yet to come.” The friends love going on long walks together, and Belle is usually as energetic as a young pup. “With Belle, age is just a number!”
Muses her mom, “I know Belle had many bad days in her former life, and I wish I could have had her from day one. I hope someone reads this and takes my advice: Visit a shelter and adopt an older dog—they’re truly amazing!”
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Miss Daisy, age unknown
Submitted by Kimberly Dalton of West Haven, CT
When Kimberly Dalton came across two Chihuahuas in need of a forever home—one of whom was a senior of unknown age with only one eye and one tooth—she instantly fell in love. “We named the older female after the character in Driving Miss Daisy,” says Kimberly.
In 2009, it will be four years that Miss Daisy has been a member of the Dalton family. Her proud mom tells us, “She conveys more unconditional love in her one eye than any other animal I’ve ever known. Even though she is slowing down a bit and the runs across the yard come fewer and far between, I hope there are many more years to come!”
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Sugar, age 7
Submitted by Sherry Ferguson of Springdale, AR
Sugar, shown here with 12-week-old Lexi, is a sweet pit bull who’s smart, too! “She wasn’t trained to do it, but if I drop something, she will pick it up and give it to me,” says Sherry. “She loves people so much and just wants to be petted. She still loves to sit in my lap, and will never be too big for that. She’s the best!”
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Gypsy, AKA Granny, age unknown
Submitted by Debra Deane of Portland, OR
Along with other volunteers from a Portland rescue group, Debra Deane was on the receiving end of a Delta Air Lines flight that transported a number of dogs—including a stressed-out, sickly senior gal named Gypsy—from a Georgia shelter. “This was at the time of Hurricane Katrina, when shelters in the South were horribly overcrowded,” explains Debra, who briefly fostered Gypsy until it became quite clear that this was going to be a permanent placement.
Today, Gypsy—affectionately known as Granny by her family—is a completely new dog. “She loves to playfully steal a shoe right in front of you and run down the hallway with it, forcing you to chase her,” says Debra. “And if she's enjoying just hanging out in the yard and catches me looking at her, she immediately rolls on to her back and stretches her legs out, beckoning me to rub her belly. And our Gypsy smiles, smiles, and smiles.”
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Zino, age 15
Submitted by Kelly Morrison of Vinton, VA
Fourteen and a half years ago when Zino was just a small puppy, he was left tied to a tree in the woods. “His family moved on and chose not to take this beautiful boy with them,” his mom Kelly recalls. “He was hungry and thirsty when he got rescued, but was otherwise in good spirits. He ended up at my vet for a checkup, looking at me with those same soulful eyes he now casts upon me every day.”
Zino has survived skin cancer and two major surgeries, remaining the perfect gentleman through it all. Now in his twilight years, he savors the smells (and poops) of the wild during long, slow walks in the woods with his mom—but he spends most of his days sleeping comfortably in one of his many soft beds.
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Nellie, age 15
Submitted by Carrie Bohnsack-Ware of Salt Lake City, UT
Nellie and her mom Carrie have a special connection that Carrie can describe only in this way: “If our house was burning down, I would grab Nellie and tell my husband to find his own way out. What can I say? She’s my doggy soul mate.” Nellie regularly gets treated like a queen, which seems to be excellent for her health. “The vet says she’s so healthy that she could live to be anywhere between 18 and 22,” says her mom. And for a senior pooch, she has great vision. “I call her my secret service agent because when I’m home, she won’t let me out of her sight.”
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Daisy, age 9
Submitted by Brenda & Tracy Tilman of Pensacola, FL
Sweet, funny, butt-waggingly active and deaf, Daisy the white boxer is the matriarch of the Tilman household’s five-pooch clan. “Daisy bounces on all four feet, leaving the ground like someone on a trampoline,” says her proud mom, Tracy. “At the same time, she’s so even-tempered, constantly tolerating slobbery kisses from two of our other dogs, Ginger and Sonny. They both gang up on Daisy at the same time, one on each side of her, giving her kisses, kisses and more kisses!”
If you give the photo a close look, you’ll see one of Daisy’s eyes is blue and the other is brown, but both have the same playful twinkle!
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Shug, age 13
Submitted by Charles & Harriet Harrison of Stillwater, NJ
Shug may be 13 years old, but this little mover still acts like a puppy. “She’s just so happy to be alive!” says her mom, Harriet—but it wasn’t always this way. This youthful husky mix was unfortunately surrendered by her former family, and when she first came to the Harrisons, she wanted to go home. “I would take her out and she would lead me to our car and look up at me,” recalls Harriet. “Her eyes would beg me to take her home and that would break my heart. Now after living with us for just a few months, her tail never stops wagging.” Apparently, Shug knows the secret to everlasting youth. “She still acts as though everything is new to her. She loves to meet new people and can be quite frisky when a frog jumps out of the grass or she discovers a rabbit hole. She is a joy to be with and has made us feel young again.”
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Laika, age 7
Submitted by Bonnie Schwartz of Kettering, OH
Laika, named after the Soviet space dog who was the first living being to orbit Earth, is anything but spacey. After being adopted, she made herself right at home with the Schwartz family, and the love affair only grew from there. “Laika gets so excited when we get home from work—sniffing and snorting, prancing around the kitchen and wagging her tail so hard that it could knock a person down,” says her mom, Bonnie. And for an older dog, she’s as active as ever. “She can’t wait to get outside in the sun and roll in the grass,” Bonnie says. “It’s her best day ever if there happens to be a squirrel or bunny in the yard to chase at full speed—but that’s not the end of it. When the sun gets low and it cools off outside, she’s ready to go walking and explore the neighborhood. We’re so happy that we can give her a forever home!”
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Hilary, age 14
Submitted by Annie Velez of York, PA
Although she weighs no more than four pounds, Hilary has managed to establish that she is the queen of her pack. Who are the other pack members? Two pit bulls! “Hilary nipped the pits in the ankles when they were careless and stepped on her,” says her amused mom, Annie. Now that Hilary is a senior, she can usually be found sleeping with mom or beside her pit friends. Annie knows her time with her girl is limited, but she’s determined to make every second count. “I will continue to make happy memories with my ‘First Lady,’ Hilary.”
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Albert, lived to be 12
Submitted by Jean Hague-Stille of Fort Lauderdale, FL
Albert the shih-tzu was found roaming the streets, his hair so matted he could hardly walk or even see. “I was going to just foster Albert. But as everyone knew, there was no such thing as a foster in my house,” muses Jean, Albert’s mama. When Albert came to Jean’s family, “he didn't know too much about love and hugs—but he soon learned, and stood in line for his share.” And Albert was an old man, all right—when he slept, he snored!
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Betty, age 10
Submitted by Wendy McEwan of Highland, CA
Wendy wasn’t planning on adopting a fourth pet—until Hurricane Katrina left so many animals needing homes. She recalls the first time she met her senior dog, who had been found walking the streets. “Betty promptly presented her tummy for a rub, and we fell in love.” Now, three years later, Betty “has gone blind, is frequently very stinky (both ends), LOVES TO EAT, sheds horribly and makes us laugh every single day.” Wendy and her husband agree that the next dog they adopt will be a mature dog.
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Sadie, age 13
Submitted by Kim and David Cooper of Glendale, AZ
“Give up my dog for a man? NEVER!” declares Kim, proud pet parent of a beautiful basset, Sadie. But that’s exactly what happened to poor Sadie before she came to live with the Coopers. “After all those years of love and loyalty, she was tossed aside when her former owner remarried and the new husband didn’t want her because she was ‘old, slow and lumpy.’” Of course, those aren’t the words Kim uses to describe her beloved. “In my eyes, she’s the most beautiful, gentle soul I have encountered yet. I fear the day I have to say goodbye, and pray that I have given her as much as she has given me.”
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Jordan, age 10
Submitted by Bonni Button of Syracuse, NY
When Bonni rescued Jordan, then seven years old, “She was skin and bones and didn't even know how to kiss.” Bonni fattened her right up and showered the Great Dane with great love to match her size. Now, Jordan never leaves her mama’s side. “She is my Velcro girl who follows my every move,” Bonni laughs. “If I don't touch or pet her while she is lying next to me, she will take her paw and try to pull my arm to touch her. She is my heart!” And you’ll be happy to know that thanks to Bonni, Jordan is now one heckuva kisser!
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