Meet Solomon. Solomon is obviously an older gentleman. Solomon is one of the many dogs rescued and fostered by Old Dog Haven. Solomon has found a wonderful place to stay to live out his remaining twilight years. He will be loved and cared for and thanks to his foster momma, Lisa, he will get the attention and care that an older man might need.
It’s easy to forget that not all the dogs that need homes are enthusiastic youngsters. Older dogs have a hard time finding homes. Some of them have medical conditions or special needs. They have given the best of their years to their families and through no fault of their own, they find themselves without a home as they are entering their golden years. Though you can certainly teach an old dog new tricks, it can be awfully hard to find an old dog a home for it’s last years.
This is where Old Dog Haven and it’s amazing network of folks come in. Old Dog Haven takes in the dogs that have virtually no chance of adoption through the shelter. Some of them are put in foster care and are available for adoption, but a large percentage of them are in hospice or Final Refuge through foster parents. These extraordinary people take these senior citizens into their home and take care of them during their final years or sometimes only months.
Old Dog Haven usually has upward of 200 dogs in it’s network. They rely on donations to pay for things like veterinary costs, which they cover for their Final Refuge dogs.
There are a couple different ways you can help, because who doesn’t want to help old dogs? I mean, look at Solomon’s face. He’s such a distinguished old man but I want to snuggle him anyway. Old Dog Haven has a whole page on different ways you can help here: http://www.olddoghaven.org/howyoucanhelp.htm
You can adopt an old dog. Foster an old dog. Be a Final Refuge home for a dog that’s preparing to cross the rainbow bridge. You can donate money. You can sign up for an Old Dog Haven Visa. There’s so many ways to help and it really does make a difference. So, November is Adopt A Senior Pet month. If you’re not able to take on a senior pet, why not help out a great charity like Old Dog Haven?
We’re going to finish the month off with some other posts about senior pets and things to think about as your animals (and maybe as you!) get older. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it seems like a good time to appreciate our older animals.
