Reasons to Adopt an Older Dog Through the Humane Society

I had thought for a long time if I found an older Yorkshire terrier for adoption through the humane society that I would make the plunge.

Years ago, I adopted an older Yorkie from the humane society and it was one of the best dogs I have ever had. Although Molly was only given about two years to live, we fell in love with her and decided any time with her was a gift. Molly ended up surprising everyone and lived nine very happy and spoiled years; we felt blessed to have such a sweet little girl be a part of our family.

I went to the humane society near our home recently to have our cats spayed and I figured while I was there I would take a look at the dogs and cats. The facility I went to was a first time visit and I found it to be one of the nicest humane societies I have been to; it was called Tails Humane Society in Dekalb, Illinois .

I walked into the dog room and relatively quickly saw a little small and sad looking dog in one of the bottom cages. I walked up to her and tried talking to her through the cage; she was not too interested but I could tell she was an older type terrier dog. Of course I found out all I could about her and it turns out she was a 6 year old silky terrier weighing in at about 10 pounds. She looked very similar to my little Molly who passed away.

It probably will come as no surprise that we adopted Lucy and slowly but surely her personality has been coming out and she is a little spit fire. We are again so thrilled to adopt an older dog; there are so many positives when adopting an older dog and the rewards of having a senior pet are unlimited.

Here you will find five of the reasons we have found adopting an older dog through the humane society to be so rewarding.

Potty Training May Not Be Necessary

Many senior dogs are already potty trained and the energy and time spent potty training are not always necessary when adding an older dog to your family. Getting a dog that is already potty trained is a dream come true. However, if you do adopt an older dog that is not potty trained, many times the dog can be potty trained relatively quickly as he or she has the maturity to learn the correct actions.

Calmer Disposition and Personality

Older dogs tend to have a calmer disposition and personality because they are passed that energetic and hyper puppy stage. If you are looking for a quieter dog, a senior pet may be the answer.

Loving and Sweet

Our experience has been with older dogs that they are really loving, sweet and very affectionate. Although puppies and young dogs are really sweet and loving too, there is nothing quite like the sincere affection that comes from an older dog.

Adapt Quickly

An older dog has experience under his or her belt so to speak, so a senior dog can adapt rather quickly to a new environment. Many senior dogs know their way around and have the experiences that puppies just do not have.

Chillin' is Livin' the Dream

A lot of older dogs love relaxing and taking it easy; if your human life holds these similar traits as important then a senior dog may be the perfect companion.

Sources:

Self-experiences

http://www.tailshumanesociety.org