Rehoming Golden Oldies

[horus]

At Dalmatian Welfare we have never had a great deal of success when it comes to rehoming older Dalmatians. By older Dals I refer to Dals from 7 or 8 years on (Dalmatians generally live to 12 -14 years). There are currently three 10 year olds in varying situations that we are trying to find homes for We recently had great success rehoming an older boy from Hawkesbury Pound but at a similar time another older boy that was rehomed bounced back. The reason for people not being willing to adopt an older Dalmatian may be many and varied, we can only really speculate. Dals are known to be quite energenic and people may see older Dals as past this, which may be one of the reasons why oldies are overlooked. Obviously, longevity is also an issue for most people. While we have a waiting list for younger Dals (up to 4 years) we always find it hard to rehome the oldies.

We recognise that we need to try harder and have discussed some ideas including setting up a 'Golden Oldies' page on our website to highlight the older Dals, including success stories so that it may encourage more adoptions.

What are your experiences with rehoming older dogs? Is this a common trend among older dogs or is it breed or size related? Do you have any ideas or tips to share when it comes to promoting the oldies? I would appreciate your thoughts :)

I have adopted 2 older Dals over the years, one 7 the other 10. Both lived to just short of 14 and it was a wonderful experience sharing time with them. The 7 year old, Toby, was a bit of a bugger when I first adopted him but it lead us on a journey of learning and made the experience all the more fulfilling. Lucky, the 10 year old, was just perfect from day one and the only regret was not having the opportunity of knowing him longer. From my experience the rewards far outweigh the negatives.

Edited April 16, 2012 by horus

[Sheridan]

I don't have a dalmatian but did adopt a 10-year-old. A more energetic (now) 16-year-old I couldn't imagine. Oldies are joy.

[cowanbree]

We have successfully rehomed a number of quite senior shelties and I think the main reason is we target a different audience to a normal sheltie home.

We are all breeders and most of us know long term sheltie people who mainly due to age have decided against another sheltie. We offer them an older sheltie that isn't too busy for them and has a guaranteed home to return to in the event they can no longer keep them which is most older peoples main reason for not getting another pet. Works really well for both parties. Not sure if that would work for a Dalmatian

[juice]

I don't know if its possible to have them listed with 'senior dog rescue' aswell?

I fostered a lovely old RR x for them, and he was adopted out really fast, much quicker than the young ones i have had,so perhaps people looking for older dogs look there?

My dally is 12/13 now, and still runs for hours everyday, he lives for his walks, he does sleep more during the day, but has hardly slowed down. :)

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

I have worked across several private rescues that were non breed specific and I also run Iggy Rescue for Italian Greyhounds.

With the Iggies, we do charge a lower rate for the older ones. It does take longer to rehome oldies but Iggies commonly live to 16 and people who know the breed also know that. They are an expensive breed to run though as they often have dental issues amongst other things and it doesn't get better with age. Sometimes due to the state they arrive in, they need more work than we can charge for so we recoup that from a younger dog who didn't need as much work, it's how every good rescue generally has to operate.

With the private rescue groups, the group that charged the same price for oldies as younger dogs does seem to take a lot longer to rehome.

I often recommend old dogs to people, depending on their needs. I think you really have to highlight the benefits of an older, settled dog and write brilliant profiles, get great photos etc.

[_PL_]

Hi Horrie!

We seem to have a great response from stories, albums and videos that follow their progress from the pound and show off how easily an oldie can fit in. I think sometimes people imagine the seniors may have challenging health issues or are too set in their ways to adapt. But lots of photos and videos and updates really shows how great they are.

This might mean setting up more photo space on the Dally Club site, building your own or ....taking advantage of facebook. I think with breed specific you'd do well there amongst dalmatian owners. :)

Juice, your foster boy is a bit greyer, a bit slower but still going strong and loving life.

[greytpets]

We have similar problems adopting out older greyhounds. I'm not sure if it's because people often think large dogs don't live that long. Pity really because I'd take an older dog over a young one any day.

[Weasels]

Not sure about the success rate, but one of our WA shelters has a "seniors for seniors" page on their website, encouraging older people to adopt older dogs :)

http://www.dogshome.org.au/seniors-for-seniors/

[Whipitgood]

Awww I love the oldies. My first dog was a 10 year old border collie rescue, she was the best dog and lived till she was 17 years. She had multiple health problems and took loads of meds but she loved her retirement years! I will always have the token geriatric rescue here!

[juice]

Good idea to have a special page for them, with update's, etc, really good pics make a difference too.

perhaps a blog about how good older dogs are ? i would never go younger again either.

[horus]

Hi Horrie!

Hello Princess!

Thanks for the replies, there are some great ideas there. I really like the idea of 'seniors for seniors'. We are looking at how our website is set up (we are a sub-committe of the NSW Dally Club so our page is part of the club site) and adding more pages or setting up an entirely independent site but still linked to the club site are all possibilities. As is using Facebook, as much as I dislike FB.

Thanks again, please keep the ideas coming. Hopefully other groups will benefit from your ideas, too :)

[mita]

I couldn't agree more with all the comments so far about the actual benefits of adopting seniors. I've adopted 8 and 9 yr olds....& they sure came with all those benefits.

I think that actual stories of 'senior' adoptions would be a great 'advertiser' on a special 'seniors' page' on your website.

Particularly as they bear out the benefits to a range of people in real life. A settled, mellow senior dog can be a boon for a busy working person... for people who don't want to start with a young puppy or active young adult..... for retired & senior people, too.

Little Paws Cat Program in SE Qld has a Long Term Companion Cat Program-Seniors for Seniors which places mature cats with senior people & people with disabilities (meeting certain criteria). If anything happens to the person, the Program looks after the cat. They have volunteers who'll help the person get the cat to a vet, too. I've wondered if something similar could be set up, placing senior dogs with senior people as a long term companion. With all the necessary logistics in place.

This Program may have been partly due to the fact that mature age adult cats don't rehome as speedily as kittens.

http://littlepawskittenrescue.org.au/our-goal/foster-care/draft-only-long-term-foster-care-program-seniors-for-seniors/

Edited April 17, 2012 by mita

[sas]

Strangely enough we don't have too many issues rehoming elderly Great Danes - there are of course all the people who would love to adopt them but "Don't want their hearts broken so soon".

The people that adopt them know that they could potentially go at any time but want to give them an awesome ending so to speak.

We tend to find the oldies are actually great for people new to the breed or have kids.

I think promotion and education is the key :) I tend to say to people "No matter what age they are, when they go they're going to break your heart". There are so many pros to an older dog in terms of energy levels, training, toielt trained etc. - Focus on the positives :)

Our Facebook group has nearly 1,000 members and we send out a Weekly Newsletter with available dogs, we try our best to pay for transport - uunderstanding that the perfect home may not be local.

Edited April 17, 2012 by sas

[Perry's Mum]

My first dog was a golden oldie and I only had her for a year but it was a wonderful year. When I lose Perry I am going to only take retired dogs who want a quiet life lazing in the sun, going for short walks by the lake and playing ball and being cuddled.

I think there are some great suggestions here. I would especially recommend them for older people like me, new owners of the breed since older dogs make very good teachers, try aged care homes too - many are looking for a quiet resident dog. One of the local ones here has a retired rescue golden retriever, another has two rescued Westies.

Someone told me when I was thinking about taking Amber that I would never regret it because an old dog is a good dog, because dogs who are not good dogs do not make it to being old dogs. They were right.

[Raelene]

Love the older dogs! Often have some grey hair wondering around here somewhere and have found that they often rehome quite well. Mostly smaller oldies I guess but also medium sized. ARF offer older dogs at a reduced fee.

I find that it is the older people that tend to shy away from the older dogs (which is a real shame as puppies really aren't suitable) as they couldn't lose another too soon.

We are rehoming a 13yo terrier x today to a fabulous home and the adoptive family commented that they feel he should fit in well with them and their other dog who needs company. I think people considering an older dog are looking for a dog that isn't as energetic or destructive and not as demanding on them as a puppy/adolescent requires. Some are looking for a similiar age to a current older dog as their mate had recently passed.

Definitely easier to rehome the "laid back" older dog, or can have energy but doesn't have other behaviour issues. I have found that a lot of people are happy to accommodate medical issues.

As far as fostering... give me a golden oldie any day over a puppy.

Juice - did you hear that Baifra's Jessie, who you helped to us save, recently passed at age 14. Now that was a super goldie, in an extra super home. That is that hard part... they all take a little piece of you with them when they go.

[juice]

i thought it was the old cattle dog rusty she lost not jess.

Edited April 18, 2012 by juice

[Ons]

AWDRI rescued a golden oldie cattle dog last year which I fostered

She found a home quickly with an older lady who loved the loyalty of cattle dogs but didnt' want the energy of a young one

A letter was received showing a very happy Gemma with a note "Gemma needed me and I needed her"

Perhaps an older working dog would be easier to adopt because people like their loyalty and obedience (generally) but don't want one tearing up the backyard in boredom. I know I hanker after a jack russell and will adopt one in the future but he/she will be about 10 years old because I know I couldn't cope with the dog otherwise :laugh:

maybe try to promote that with a golden oldie you get the qualities that people like in a dalmation with none of the nuttiness of young dogs

[Aphra]

We'll often suggest an older dog for people with young children. We point out the benefits of a settled, older dog who is more happy to just laze about and go for the kind of slow walks that people with small children tend to do. :-) A mellow, child friendly older dog is a much better option than a puppy, and we've had a few families take on older dogs because they want a dog but don't have the time or energy for a puppy. By the time the kids are old enough to want a younger, more active dog, the family has gained some valuable doggy experience and the older dog will probably be happy to rescind playtime and strenuous activity to the younger canine in the household.

Often the people with young kids who come in looking for a dog haven't had a dog before, so a quiet senior is a really good way for them to learn about living with a dog. I use the analogy of horse riding; green riders need seasoned horses; seasoned riders can manage green horses.

[Raelene]

Sadly it was both to cancer within barely a week or two of each other.

Also can I suggest photos, photos, photos - if you put up photos showing the great attributes of the older dogs, etc with other dogs, with kids, with cats or just chilling with the family.

[cami]

The other place we have had success in placing older dogs is when adopters have had a partner to an eldery dog pass away. Once they consider it they are happy to adopt another dog of similar or a bit younger age which has the same exercise requirements and is more likely to keep their aged dog company.