Thug life

In the words of T.I. Sweetie says she's "been thugging all [her] life, can't say [she] don't deserve to take a break..."  Ok, perhaps the name Sweetie doesn't give her much street cred, but she rocks the sideways hat and badass grill with the best of them (the hat was one of the many stops I had to pull out this afternoon to help the Buckeyes win the basketball game...I'm only a little superstitious).

In reflecting on the last week that I've had Sweetie, it's been quiet uneventful.  In the past, coming home to the foster pup was always a surprise.  Was I going to find that the dog had pulled a Houdini and gotten out of her crate (China, a pittie) or come home to find the dog gone, having busted through a screen (Kota, a mastiff)?  And don't forget the never ending poop and pee presents!  In contrast, Sweetie was and still is, perfection.  She's a great companion - in the house, in the car, on a walk.  She's just happy to be living life.

And that brings me to reason #7 why (adopting) senior dogs rock.
#7: When you adopt a senior dog, you save a life.   So many people overlook older dogs at the shelter and as a result, they are often at the top of the euthanasia list.  Just before I got Sweetie, I had inquired about fostering a little 12 year old mixed breed dog.  I posted something on facebook (asking if the dog could be cat tested), only to find that my post and the dog's picture was gone a few hours later.  It turned out that the dog had been euthanized.  It was a hard lesson but unfortunately, this is the reality for many older dogs that set paw in the shelter.   When there is no more space, someone has to go and it's often older dogs.

By adopting a senior dog (or any dog for that matter), you may actually be saving 2 lives - the dog you adopted and another dog that gets the spot on the adoption floor (or in the foster home).  You get a companion and save two lives at the same time - not a bad day's work.

 

Coming soon - pictures of Sweetie's photo shoot!