Senior dog adoption experience

August 31, 2024 5:45 PM

There's a possibility I'll be adopting an older Yorkie who we believe was abandoned.

Currently, she's on a hold—a several day waiting period—in case an owner comes forward. It's likely she's had multiple litters, and she will be spayed after the hold. She's very calm and has shown no aggression. Also, she's very thin and was likely on the streets for a while. She has obvious tumors which will be removed when she's spayed and will need additional medical attention, including dental work.

I'm looking for advice from folks who have experience with Yorkies, as this will be a new breed for me, and folks experienced with special needs senior dogs. Also, currently I have a cat (slightly larger than said dog) who can be jealous and feisty so I know I'll need to keep the dog safe—any creative suggestions about that would be greatly appreciated.

I do know that regular grooming is required, and I am financially prepared for the medical needs of a senior dog. I'm retired so she will not be left alone very often or for very long.

posted by Scout405 to Pets & Animals (7 answers total)

Best answer: and folks experienced with special needs senior dogs

I have one, his name is Kuiper. He is the worst animal I have ever met, he made my family complete, I love him and am glad to have him in my life, but god he is awful. You can click through to my Instagram to see many pics.

I don't think Kuiper is a dog experience that many people are likely to find themselves in, but maybe some generalities can be drawn.

Kuiper was 9 when I got him. I don't know what his life was like before I met him except that he was part of a shelter transfer out of Tennessee where he had been dry docked for 6+ months. He was SO scared when I brought him home, just couldn't handle institutional settings at all, and it took some time before he was comfortable enough to realize he was home and let his personality show. (His personality? It's bad.) The dog you bring home (probably) isn't the same dog you'll have 3 months later.

Whatever happened to him before has left some lasting damage. Kuiper is mentally ill. Prozac time is a very important part of breakfast. But also, every vet visit until just a few months ago was traumatic, presumably because of all the time he spent in shelters. Also? Blood feud with all bicycles. Also? He is a mean bully to my other dog Truman, who was here first. These things have got better, but they haven't gone away, and expecting an old dog to completely change his behavior is unrealistic. You may need to accept that certain aspects of training, etc, are just never going to improve past a certain point.

Health stuff. I knew Kuiper had bad teeth, and I assumed senior dog stuff would crop up. What I didn't expect was for his primary enduring hobby to be extreme personal involvement with his own penis, constantly throughout the day at all hours. He's literally doing it in front of me right now as I type this. He is a grade A pervert. He actually uses his paws to push his penis sheath down and then literally raw dogs his raw dog. It's become a source of fascination for our vet, who said his skin looks dry and she's concerned about his moisture barrier, and she could recommend a mousse. I expected to have vet and home care costs associated with an aging dog. I didn't expect to have to rub his penis with mousse 2x a week. This dog is going to live to 25 out of pure spite and I'm going to be stuck dick moussing him the entire time.

But on the other hand (washed, I promise) when he's sweet, he's very sweet. He's cute and his fur is so soft and he's much more affectionate than my other dog. During his moments of clarity, you can tell how safe and happy he feels here, and it makes up for all his challenges.

In the far future when I'm ready for another dog I'll be going right back to the shelter and asking for another crusty old man who can't be safely adopted into a family with kids. And I'll let that one screw my life up, too. I wish you and your new friend all the happiness.
posted by phunniemee at 6:31 PM on August 31 [59 favorites]

My corgi idiot (affectionate) is a rescue from a puppy mill where she clearly had many puppies and has trauma, and then came to me underweight and sick and barely housetrained. She is now healthy and mostly housetrained after a lot of work but it was a lot of work and expensive vet visits and interventions.

However! She likes people and really adores learning dog things like here is a rope, this is bacon, oh I get to sleep on a sofa! And it is a joy to see her turn from a shy quiet dog into a dancing woofing furball, knowing she is happy and safe now. I’ve had puppies and it’s a super short stage overall, and I would take an older dog any day.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 4:42 AM on September 1 [5 favorites]

It takes months for a dog's personality to really shake out after you bring them home, and I say that to remind you of several things:
- many behaviors are really malleable and trainable and routinizable during this time, both to stop behaviors you don't want and encourage ones you do
- you may need to do some over-exaggerated confidence-boosting as they adjust
- already have an introductory training plan - the basics - because that helps with the adjustment as well as the other training
- even if the adjustment is rocky at first, that doesn't mean it always will be
- watching them relax and their personality unfold is a joy

With a little tiny dog, you may want to assess your house and your most likely walk routes for mobility issues. Most little dogs are happy to be picked up, and hopefully that's true for yours, but you may want to plan what you'll do if you need stairs for the sofa or bed, or if you'll need to carry her out the front door because of stairs.

You may want to have a basic baby gate on hand in case you need to control her access to certain areas, but also remember when you have a dog that weighs 6 pounds you can generally make temporary gates out of cardboard or foamcore board.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:13 AM on September 1 [6 favorites]

I have a 16-year-old rat terrier mix, Penny. Granted, I got her when she was a bit over 1, so I did not adopt a senior. But I can speak to owning a senior dog with above average medical needs.

• Dental care: generally, small dogs need at least annual teeth cleaning. Staying on top of this care is very important for the quality of life of small dogs, as it can be difficult to eat when they have teeth bothering them. Penny has had almost all of her teeth removed at this point (except one, very sharp, lower molar that we call “the shiv”). She still eats dry kibble, and “chews” on dog chews.
• Mobility: Hard second to Lyn Never’s point about mobility. Penny has arthritis and rear leg weakness. She struggles sometimes walking on the hardwood floors in our house. We use toenail grips to help her stability, but they’re a pain to apply. We also have to carry her downstairs sometimes when letting her out, depending how she’s feeling. Just some things to consider about your living space.
• Medical care: We invest a lot of resources (money and time) in Penny’s medical care. She gets oral meds three times a day, and subcutaneous injections every two weeks. She also sees a physical therapist monthly, and we do PT with her daily. I know you mentioned being home most of the time, but depending upon the dog’s health, there may also be greater time commitments than a healthy dog would need. If your day is already full with hobbies and activities, you may want to consider if you are willing to make that time investment. Penny is my ride or die, so I would spend every free moment on her care, but YMMV.
• Time away: It may be harder to find someone who can properly care for your pet if you want to travel, or need to be away from the house for an extended period.
• Activity levels: This one may be obvious, but senior dogs live at a slower pace! Penny spends much of the day snoozing, compared with her younger sister who is much more playful. Again, may be obvious, and also depends on the dog. But wanted to point that out, in case you have a particular picture of dog ownership in your head. But that can certainly be a feature, not a bug.
• Potty training: senior dogs can lose their housebreaking, or just have accidents more often. Since you already own a cat (and thus are used to having a litter box around), you might consider litterbox or pee-pad training your dog from the start, to help prevent that situation.
• Vision and hearing: Penny isn’t completely deaf, but has lost most of her hearing at this point. She never listened that well anyway, but she is completely incorrigible now. Consider how having a low vision/hearing pet might change the equation for you.

That’s all I can think of, for now. Senior dogs can be the best dogs. I’m staring at Penny, snoozing away, as I write this. I spend my life terrified of what I will do when she is no longer here. But I try to give her the best life possible and make the most of our time together.
posted by bluloo at 10:27 AM on September 1 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Appreciating all the great suggestions and info so far. And, phunniemee, your user name checks out—I was laugh/crying at more than one point as I read your response out loud to my son.
posted by Scout405 at 4:11 PM on September 1 [2 favorites]

We have adopted several senior dogs in the last couple years. We had a 10 year old greyhound who got cancer and needed an amputation (thank god for pet insurance). A 9 year old whippet who we only has four months before she also died of lung cancer. We recently foster failed another 9 year old greyhound.

I mean the worst part for sure is that we know going in we won’t have them very long.

The best part is they have been super chill, awesome dogs who are good influences on our two crazier dogs, and also knowing that we get to love on them for whatever time they have left. And who knows what that is, I have friends with greyhounds who are 16.

Pet insurance has helped. So has knowing that when it was time it was time. So has being willing to spoil dogs like crazy.


Good luck :)
posted by dpx.mfx at 4:14 PM on September 1 [1 favorite]

I adopted a senior dog and foster another. My 15 year senior I had before left us this summer.
My experiences tell me that it's a wonderful thing. My current senior is the most attached being i have ever experienced, even compared to the dogs i had since childhood. Adopting a senior has so many benefits, it's extremely underrated. Not only you do a huge favor to the world, they are set in their ways, calmer, no puppy craziness, mostly i experienced calm and strong love, gratitude for kindness and boundaries.

I also loved seeing him evolve - from an abandoned, scared dog not interested in anything, he become reborn, puppy-like 12 year old, jumping, running, smiling, playing...that is what warms my heart the most!

Challenges are though, health can become fragile. Furthermore, they might have hearing or seeing problems, and that makes them more difficult to train. Chances are, you won't be able to let them off leash again as they are not always to be trusted.

I would love to know how it went if you decided for it!
posted by Salicornia at 9:41 AM on September 7 [1 favorite]