I came across this organization while researching online for senior dogs: The Senior Dogs Project. They serve to bring awareness around the benefits of owing a senior dag, so they function as an advocacy group NOT as a place to adopt or foster a senior dog, but they do list this information on their Web sit.
Senior dogs have so much to offer . .. please consider fostering or adoping one today.
Below is information from The Senior Dogs Project . . . I loved it so much I am including it here (I hope they don't mind).
Gandhi said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way that its animals are treated." You can tell even more, we believe, by the way its older animals are treated.
Some time ago, the Senior Dogs Project heard from a woman who wanted to place her 14-year-old Golden Retriever into a new home. We thought to ourselves, there must be extenuating circumstances. Not really, the woman explained; it was just that she was moving, and, in her new apartment, she would have to walk the dog rather than simply let her out into the garden as she always had. No, she herself was not old or infirm. No, it was not a question of money. She told us she couldn't take much time to talk because she was extremely busy packing. Besides, she said, she didn't think the dog would live much longer anyway.
Advancing age is a significant disadvantage in the "civilized" and "westernized" nations of the world, whether it appears in a dog or in a person. When the "youth cult" is added to the "throw-away" mentality of our society, the result is that little thought is given to preservation or conservation, and little patience is applied to making possessions or relationships last. If it's old or broken, obsolete or unattractive, it is put on the trash heap. When it comes to dogs, we see heart-breaking examples of this mentality, in many cases because people think of a dog as a disposable possession rather than a companion with whom they are in a relationship. And, of course, even if there is a relationship, if it becomes inconvenient, well, then, why not just end it?
A 14-year-old dog has a very slim chance of being adopted. We know because we tried to place the Golden whose guardian didn't want to bother walking her. Every agency we contacted told us the same story: they had a full roster of older dogs -- nine and ten years old, but even as young as five -- who had been up for adoption for a long time and who were reaching the end of their grace period.
In the world of dog rescue, it's the older and therefore "less desirable" dogs that break your heart the most. While the puppies have a fighting chance of being adopted because they are cute, cuddly and irresistible, shelters often schedule an older dog for immediate euthanizing simply on the basis of age. The reasoning is that since old dogs are the least likely to be adopted, space in the shelter is best used for the younger, more appealing dogs.
On any given day, in any given shelter, the older dogs there will be hoping to have someone take them to a new home before their time runs out. The good news is that there are some excellent reasons to adopt an older dog. By focusing on the many fine attributes of older dogs, the Senior Dogs Project hopes to encourage and facilitate their adoption. We hope to do this by providing information on rescuing and adopting older dogs, and by publishing photos and stories by and about people who are just crazy about their older dogs -- whether the dogs were adopted when older or have been companions since puppyhood.
Caring for a dog is a major responsibility. From puppyhood through old age, both time and effort are required to learn and conscientiously practice the basics of good dog care. In addition, there are continuing advances in veterinary medicine that are making possible the good health of our dogs well into their senior years. Thus, the third major focus of the Senior Dogs Project is to make available useful, up-to-date information about caring for older dogs.
To summarize, the Senior Dogs Project: (1) promotes the adoption of older dogs; (2) provides current information on the special care that older dogs need so that they and their human companions may fully enjoy their golden years; and (3) documents the strong, loving bonds that people have with their older dogs.
A throw-away society is no place for the loyal and wonderful canine species. But we believe that society can be changed by opportunities to demonstrate compassion. A dog can bring out the best in people; a dog unwanted because of age reaches to the very depths of human kindness and compassion. We believe that the more examples there are of compassion around us -- whether toward our outcast dogs or fellow-humans -- the better will be humanity's chances for peaceful survival.
http://www.srdogs.com
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