When life gives you a foster dog, take a nap.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love a good nap.  Not your 20 minute, ready-to-go, power nap, but your 2 hour, drool-all-over-the-pillow, wake-up-in-a-bad-mood kind.  Today I had a bit of a headache coming home from work, so I laid down at 6 to take a snooze.   When I got Sweetie, I had resolved to not let her on the bed, as this was the once place that Kitty could go if she needed to feel safe from Sweetie (my bed is a few inches shy of requiring a step ladder to get in to).  Well this resolution lasted only slightly longer than most new years resolutions, and surely enough, Sweetie joined in nap time.  Not surprisingly, a chance to be lazy while spending time with a human was right up her ally!  She was so content with our nap time, she hardly budged when I got out of bed and turned on the lights (photo 1).  It wasn't until I shook a bag of treats that I caught the attention of her cute, tailless bum (photo 2).  (Sweetie would also like to state for the record that photo 1 is not her best angle and that her foster mom sucks at sticking to her resolutions).

So this is a nice segue to the #8 reason why senior dogs rock - SENIORS FOR SENIORS.

Many two legged seniors lives quiet lifestyles involving light physical activity, spending a lot of time at home and most likely, napping ;-)  Some seniors may be seeking companionship after the lost of a spouse.  In 2003, my paternal grandmother lost her husband and love of her life, unexpectedly.   After this lost, she sought companionship in the form of a dog.  In a not so wise decision, the local shelter adopted out a young, feisty border collie to my 80 year old grandmother.  While this clearly wasn't the best thought out plan, this border collie provided my grandmother with many years of kisses, laughs and most of all, happiness (my grandmother is still alive but her four legged companion, Duffy, is not).  Shelters and rescue groups are becoming increasingly aware of the mutual benefit that comes from pairing two and four legged seniors.   For many seniors, adopting a dog may also help their health as pets have been shown to reduce stress, depression and even blood pressure!  So although a senior dog may not be the best match for you (I'm not sure why, who doesn't love a good nap and a well trained dog!), it may be a perfect fit for someone you love!

And I dedicate this post to my grandmother - I don't have a picture of her with Duffy, but this is a picture of her doing something she also loves - watch Steelers football!!!!!!