I recently received Ron’s response and it seems like the perfect post as American Humane’s Adopt-A-Dog Month comes to an end.

I guess you could say that research started when my wife and I adopted Takoda. Like Logan, he was a stud dog in a Puppy Mill, used and abused for the first three years of his life and then ready to be tossed away, along with four other Dobermans, when the people who owned the Mill decided they were no longer of use and were ready to toss them to a Kill Shelter. Thank God a Rescue Group heard about that and promptly rescued them all. If that hadn’t happened, we never would have known how much love a Rescued and Adopted dog, be it a Senior or Special Needs, has to give.

I wanted to really be able to tell you exactly what was needed to adopt that Special Needs, or Senior, dog so I joined several different groups to see what others had to say. I just wanted to read the posts and see what was being said from the heart, not from the mind. What I wanted was their feelings and comments that were spontaneous, not thought out. Those reasons and feelings that came from deep within.

I’ve been visiting, reading and taking notes for quite a while now and just knew a pattern would start forming rapidly. Well, after all this time that hasn’t happened. From what I read in all those posts, there really wasn’t anything specific about the people who adopted a Special Needs or Senior dog, they varied from young to old, from those with the ability to give the best of care to those who would have to scrounge a little to take care of their pet. There just didn’t seem to be anything specific that was needed.

True, it would be nice to have some extra time to share with a Special Needs, or Senior, dog but that wouldn’t be a necessary requirement. It really isn’t the time you share but the quality of the time spent together. Showing and letting that dog know how much they are wanted and loved and also being able to accept the love and devotion they give in return.

While it would be nice to have the ability to shower that Special Needs, or Senior dog, with toys, fancy beds and all the treats they would like, again that isn’t a requirement. Showering them with love, devotion and your company is all they want. Just having you as part of their life is more then enough. It’s the feelings, the love they feel, from and for you that matters.

I was starting to get a feeling for what I wanted to write and then I read your Tribute to Logan. That made me realize that there is something you need to adopt that Senior, or Special Needs, dog, something that money just can’t buy. Something everyone can have, if they just open their hearts and try. That something is a big heart.

True, a Senior dog is really an ideal candidate for human seniors, there is so much difference between them and a pup. They usually are house-broken and trained ( maybe not thoroughly but somewhat ) , more settled in their ways ( not hyper-active ), more willing to lay back and relax and a lot more things that suit the senior lifestyle. But, the same things that make it ideal for a senior to adopt also applies to a younger person who doesn’t have the necessary time to devote to training a younger dog.

True, a Special Needs dog will require more care and attention but if you can give them that, then you really need nothing special. Again, they can be ideally suited for a Senior since, like me, they have more time to devote to the dog. In Takoda’s case, being blind when we adopted him, he has bonded so tight to me ( my wife still works and is gone most days ) it is easy to see that I have become his eyes. He wants to be with me at all times and I guess that could present a problem for some people but he does get on just fine when he’s alone. Here I believe the main thing is not babying the dog but realizing they can usually get along just fine, on their own, if you just give them a chance.

I believe most anyone would get along just fine with a Senior or Special Needs dog, as long as they don’t let those facts overwhelm them. Just because they are a little old, or have a health problem, doesn’t mean they can’t give you love and devotion like any other dog. In fact, that is one thing I did find from the groups I joined. Most comments concerned just how much love and devotion the owner receives from their dogs. Be it a Senior or Special Needs, every owner told stories of the amount of love and devotion their dog gives. That’s why I say the only thing you really need, the one thing that will make adopting that Special Needs or Senior dog, is a Big Heart.

Why? You’ll need it to store all that love and devotion you’ll receive and all of the memories you’ll have and share. Your heart will grow larger with every one you adopt. Everyone you share a part of your life with and they share a part of theirs with you. So many memories, so many wonderful memories, that when the time comes and they make the Journey to the Bridge like all our pets do, the love, devotion and memories they leave behind will easily ease the pain of losing them. Your heart will grow larger with each new pet and the tears will always flow when they leave but those tears will make the love grow stronger and the willingness to accept the pain of losing them easier to accept.

No matter how many tears fall, they will never erase the love and devotion, the memories those Senior and Special Needs dogs leave in your heart. Yes, you need a very big heart to adopt a dog like that but just the willingness to adopt that first one will get your heart growing. Share the love and you too will have a Big Heart, a Very Big Heart.

Thank you Ron for sharing your story, and hopefully inspiring others to go out and adopt a special needs or senior dog.

Chanel, a dachshund,  turned 21-years-old  on May 6th and became the oldest living dog on record.   Sadly, I just found out that she has passed away. On Friday, August 28th she went to Rainbow Bridge at the tender age of 147-years-old.

She was adopted by Karl and Denice Shaughnessy from a shelter in Newport News, VA. when she was only 6 weeks old. She appeared on the Today Show in May to commemorate her Woofday  wearing tinted goggles for her cataracts and a sweater because she was sensitive to the cold. After the show aired she celebrated with a big Manhattan Woofday bash.

(A.P.) Guinness World Records officials presented Chanel with a certificate as the world’s oldest dog at a Manhattan birthday bash hosted by a private pet food company in May.

Chanel loved the party, especially the cake, which had a peanut butter flavor and had been made for dogs, Denice Shaughnessy said.

There have been claims of older dogs but Guinness World Records has not yet been able to verify any birth records. According to Janelle Derouen her dog Max is 26-years-old. She said GWR officials are trying to verify this information, although they will not confirm this.

* Pic ourtesy AP Photo/Karl and Denise Shaughnessy

Dogster member Bill sent me an article about Virginia, she’s an older dog who recently went blind. Since there are a lot of Dogsters who have senior dogs, like us, and worry about this issue I thought the article would be of interest.

It goes to show that just because a dog goes blind it doesn’t mean they’re out of the game. Dogs adjust surprisingly well, it’s humans who have a harder time dealing with it.

Jason Torchinsky is a guest blogger on Boing Boing. Jason has a book out now, ‘Ad Nauseam: A Survivor’s Guide to American Consumer Culture’. He lives in Los Angeles, where he is a tinkerer and artist and writes for the Onion News Network. He lives with a common-law wife, five animals, too many old cars, and a shed full of crap

One of my dogs, Virginia, went blind late last year. I knew it was coming; she has glaucoma, and lost sight in one of her eyes a while before. We’d been keeping the other eye alive with lots and lots of medicine, but the vet told us it was just a matter of time. So, when the morning came and I found her running around crazily all over the house, nose to the ground, I shouldn’t have been surprised.

Still, I was pretty alarmed. And while I read lots on the internet about this, and even saw the articles that said not to panic, the dog will adapt, those articles were almost invariably written by the sort of hyper-caring earth-mother women who could say taking care of a limbless, eyeless, incontinent sea lion was an easy, rewarding experience anyone could do. I didn’t really buy it.

So, when she went blind, I did end up going a bit nuts. She’s a profoundly sweet-natured and smart dog, and seeing her struggle, without benefit of understanding why, was wrenching. I looked into research into artificial vision, surgeries, other medications; everything was either a pipe dream, insanely expensive, and almost nothing guaranteed any vision retention. It was crazy, and while I was being an idiot, Virginia was out there, rewiring her little brain to make it work.

It’s really amazing. In far less time than you’d ever guess, she adapted– far, far better than I ever realized would be possible. I made the usual mistake of anthropomorphizing the animal I live with. Her brain just works differently than ours do: I’m told when they go blind, dogs just think something along the lines of “It’s nighttime always now. Huh. How about that.” and they get on with it. Plus, they’re much less avid readers than us, and, of course, their primary sense is smell, so they’re in a much better position to give up sight than, say, me.

Read the rest of Virginia’s story on Boing Boing, a directory of wonderful things.

* Pic of Virginia courtesy Boing Boing

If you have an older dog you are probably quite familiar with cataracts. Any dog that is lucky enough to become a senior is in all likelihood going to get them.

Cataracts cause a clouding over the lens of the eye, which blurs vision and can potentially cause blindness if not treated. The standard treatment to remove them is with surgery, which can be costly.

Donita Mason, from the Salt Lake Alternative Pet Examiner, wrote an article on treating cataracts using alternative remedies.

One of the heartbreaks that happen as animals age is the development of cataracts. This is much more common in dogs than in cats. When it gets to the point that the animal can no longer see, traditional medicine says the only thing they can do for it is surgery to remove the cloudy lens. The surgery is expensive and many loving owners would find it difficult, especially in today’s financial state, to come up with the funds for the surgery. The chances of helping an animal with surgery is even less if the animal has shown up at a rescue group. For these situations it has just been accepted that the animal was blind.

MSM and Flaxseed oil

In talking with a local vet he has assured me that this treatment would be “safe for any mammal.” You are going to need a couple of eye droppers, some saline solution or a very mild eye drop, pure MSM with no additives, and cold pressed flaxseed oil. On the flaxseed oil, you want to make sure it is the cold pressed that you get from the refrigerated section of your local health food store. You want the cold pressed to insure that in the process of getting the oil, it has not been altered in any way. Flaxseed oil is easily affected by heat and light. The bottles that are in the cooler are dark to prevent the light from affecting it. In addition, doctors view the cold pressed oil to be the most effective.

By itself, flaxseed oil is regularly used for eye health. It has been found as effective for treating dry eye as the medication doxycycline. For dry eye it is taken internally, 1 tablespoon a day.

You mix the MSM into the saline solution so that it comes out to be a 15% solution. This is basically 1 teaspoon of the MSM to one ounce of the solution. You administer a couple of drops of flaxseed oil directly into the eye. This helps to soften the tissue. After 10 to 30 minutes you administer a couple of drops of the MSM solution to the eyes. There may be some uncomfortable stinging with the drops, but it is very temporary and not real uncomfortable. That is part of why you want to make sure the MSM is mixed into a soothing solution.

Administer this solution several times a day. After about 4 days you will start to see a white substance in the corner of the eye. That is the material from the cataract. Continue with the treatment until there is no more sign of the cataract.

There is not anything definitive about why this would work on the internet. In searching, you can find many websites talking about using the MSM for cataracts, but they do not include the flaxseed oil. Without the flaxseed oil the MSM is not as effective and it takes a much longer time to get rid of the cataract.

As always, the information given here is not intended to replace the advice given by your vet. It is intended to provide you with an education so that you can make an informed decision as to what is the best alternative for your companion.

Mason’s article goes on to discuss N-Acetylcarnosine and two homeopathic treatments. To read about the other options go to the examiner.com.

* Riesling looking very cute in her glasses.

Since we’re on the topic of senior dogs, here is a beautiful girl who desperately needs a home.

As I was finishing up the article Senior Benefits I received an email about Honey Bear. She was rescued by The Pepper Foundation in Studio City, CA.

Honey Bear’s story…
We rescued Honey Bear from the Harbor Animal Shelter in San Pedro where her family dumped her cause they said they could no longer care for her. She is the sweetest dog ever! She is about 12 yrs old but is very agile and still active. She is very affectionate and give sweet kisses! she will make a wonderful companion and wants to be your best friend! Please give Honey Bear a chance, she wont let you down!

Contact: Julie Chadwick via email.

About Our Rescue Group…
We rescue dogs mostly out of the Los Angeles City shelters and find loving and forever homes for them. We mostly take in the special needs, and senior doggies on their last days at the shelter. A lot of the time these animals have been abandoned and we want to give them a second chance at a forever loving home. Donations are always welcome since we operate by donations only..You can always make a paypal donation to Planetheart. We are a 501 c 3 and all donations are tax deductible.

I have to believe someone out there is going to look at that precious face and contact the shelter about adopting her. Don’t you just want to grab hold of Honey Bear and shower her with love?

Last week I posted Where Do Old Dogs Go?, about senior dogs being given up by their owners who no longer want to care for them. One of the groups that is stepping in to help these dogs is Muttville, a wonderful organization that rescues dogs age 7 and over.

As I was going through the news this morning I came across an article about them. Muttville was started 2 1/2 years ago and has helped 300 senior dogs get new homes.

The cocker spaniel was found wandering on the streets of San Jose two weeks ago. He is blind and deaf and his fur was so matted that day you couldn’t see his eyes.

He would have been put down if someone hadn’t thought to call Sherri Franklin in San Francisco. She is the founder and executive director of a wonderful organization called Muttville, which rescues and seeks homes for senior dogs, at least 7 years old.

Franklin describes herself as “Muttville Central” because she takes in so many dogs herself, but she has a network of 23 foster homes around the Bay Area, including on the Peninsula, where dogs are given a second chance. Some of them have cancer and other diseases, but these kind people take them in to give them a warm, loving place for their last days.

Others might call them rescuers and foster parents. I call them saints.

“It’s the passion that keeps me going,” said Franklin, a hairstylist by profession. “The dogs just keep you going.”

Look at the pictures of the dogs on the organization’s Web site at www.muttville.org to see why. Some of them, like Wee Willy, are too cute for words, and some look as if they’re ready to jump into somebody’s arms.

In the past, most of the dogs that came to Muttville were from shelters that called with pleas to save the dogs. But lately the group is also seeing canine victims of the economy – dogs that were given up by families because they have to move and the new landlord won’t allow dogs. Or the owner has to go into a convalescent home. Or the owner can’t afford the dog food or the medication.

This all-volunteer organization spends the majority of donations on vet bills and could use your help if you have a little extra. There’s also a wish list on its Web site for such things as a steam cleaner for the shelter’s floors, laundry detergent and a pressure sprayer.

A big shout out to Muttville for the terrific work they do. The world is a better place because of people like Sherri Franklin and all the volunteers and fosters who work with her.

If you would be interested in becoming a foster, which they desperately need, please contact Sherri via email. Donations may be made through PayPal on the organization’s website or checks may be mailed to Muttville, P.O. Box 410207, San Francisco, CA 94141.

* Jimmy is adoptable through Muttville, he is thought to be around 8 or 9 and was found wandering the streets, no one came to claim him.

New contest is on it’s way tomorrow and I only have two words for you: yorkie puppies

Cat Food PerfumePhotograph© 2009 MarkRogersPhotography.com all rights reserved.

I want to thank Dogster member Rhon for sending me a diary entry from Daisy Mae’s page. And of course Daisy Mae for posting it.

This is a heartbreaking and eye-opening look at what happens to senior dogs when their owners decide they can no longer care for them, or choose not to.

Flo is a doe-eyed 10 year-old Basset hound mix that was sent to the animal shelter when her owner couldn’t return home after being hospitalized. The little dog, who is almost deaf, was terrified to be in a cage at a shelter with so many other animals and all of the commotion.

Josie is a serious looking senior Wheaton terrier mix whose owners tied a pretty bow around her neck and dropped her off at a shelter in Northern California.

And when a tiny silver-haired Shih Tzu named Jennifer got too old, her family brought her to the shelter to be euthanized.

This is how life turns out for thousands of loyal older dogs. The main reason senior dogs are relinquished to shelters seems to be illness. Either the owner becomes too sick or passes away or the dogs develop an illness and owners can’t afford to pay for the medical care or choose not to get help.

Prospects are pretty grim if you’re an unwanted senior canine. Shelter workers see the tragedy every day as older dogs with wonderful dispositions are tossed aside. And once they get to an overcrowded public shelter with limited resources they are “practically written off” as un-adoptable.

In addition to being hard to re-home, senior dogs have special health risks when they’re exposed to a shelter environment. They’re more susceptible to kennel cough, their arthritic bones get worse as they sit on concrete floors and the overall stress of living in a shelter can worsen any pre-existing illness. For most old dogs the shelter is where they spend their last days before being euthanized.

However, in the last couple of years some animal advocates who are touched by these sad circumstances are coming to the aid of senior canines.

Sherri Franklin is one of these advocates. With a distinguished career in animal rescue she began a non-profit organization in 2007 for older dogs, called Muttville. The group is located in San Francisco. Their website says this about their goals:

“Muttville’s mission is to change the way the world thinks about and treats older dogs and to create better lives for them through rescue, foster and hospice. We reach out to senior and special needs rescue dogs; find suitable homes for those dogs that are adoptable; and offer end of life care for those that are not.”

The organization is successfully making the last few years of unwanted senior dogs peaceful and happy.

In other parts of the country, The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs and Old Dog Haven are also saving the lives of seniors that have been cast aside. Both organizations have become experts in getting older dogs ready for new homes. They provide an extensive medical workup for each animal so they are in the tip top condition and they use the internet for finding new homes.

Because most of their budgets are used for medical care another organization called Grey Muzzle was started to help. They give grant money to rescue groups that specialize in working with senior dogs.

And some animal shelters like Sacramento SPCA have started programs to meet the special needs of old dogs. They provide cots to get the dogs off the floor and they do a dental and blood work-up so they can determine any medical problems. The group also waves the adoption fee so senior dogs have a better chance of getting a new home.

There are many specific reasons why people avoid adopting an older pet, but the basic theme is, ¯There‘re so many dogs available, why choose one with something that looks like a big problem, or looks ugly, or takes a lot of effort?

The Senior Dogs Project also finds homes for older dogs. They list these 10 reasons why people should consider adopting a senior canine:

1. Most are house trained.
2. They are past chewing inappropriate items.
3. They are focused so they quick learners.
4. Old dog know the meaning of “No.”
5. Settle in with a pack easier.
6. Give lots of love.
7. WYSIWYG – What you see is what you get in personality and behavior.
8. Instant companionship.
9. Owners get more time for themselves because seniors are less demanding.
10. A good night’s sleep – old dogs need their rest.

It’s a sad commentary when people place less value on anything or anyone that is old. Sure, brand new puppies are wildly adorable, but it is a heartwarming experience when an older dog looks you in the eye and crawls into your lap and falls asleep.

I cannot imagine giving up my senior dog who has been with me, and there for me, throughout the years. Thank goodness for the wonderful organizations mentioned above who are stepping in and helping senior dogs. The Senior Dog Project really nailed it with their 10 reasons to adopt an older dog, everything listed is so true.

We got Logan when he was five and have never looked back. Logan is a Bernese Mountain dog from a puppy mill who was rescued by the Bernese Auction Rescue Coalition. When we were originally looking we did want a younger dog, especially because Berners generally have a lifespan of 7 years, but then one of the rescue workers told us about Logan. When we saw his picture it was love at first site.

We just celebrated our one year anniversary on Saturday and are so happy we adopted him, he is a joy. We don’t know how long we’ll have him, but we cherish every minute we do. Let’s face it, there are no guarantees in life for anything, sometimes you just need to take a chance.

*ADOPTABLE: Buddy is a handsome senior boy looking for a forever home, check out his page.

There is nothing sadder to me than seeing a senior dog  who has been abandoned by their family.  After years of dedicated companionship and unconditional love they are dumped off at shelters for a variety of reasons.

As a dog ages it does bring new challenges, dealing with health issues and more visits to the vet, which usually means more of a financial strain on the owner.

With that being said, you wouldn’t put a parent or grandparent in a shelter because they’ve become an “inconvenience”.  Yet, it happens everyday with senior dogs. The HSUS has a great article by Angela Moxley on the added benefits of adopting an older dog, and yes, there are definite benefits.

One advantage of adopting an older pet is that with age comes a grown-up perspective on life. Both Tess and Alma moved seamlessly into our home; they know their place in a house where humans rule the roost. It was as if we had adopted two adult children without suffering the angst of those trying teenage years.

The other great thing is that an older dog usually doesn’t require as much physical activity.  Logan, our 5-year-old Berner, loves going to the park but is also content to hang out when I’m working.

When we just want to veg out and read a book or watch a movie, our aging companions are content to curl up by our side and veg out, too. But “old” doesn’t mean “sedentary.” Tess loves acting goofy, rolling around for belly rubs, and galloping after tennis balls. Alma goes crazy for the cat dancer toy. And at the end of a vivacious playtime romp, they’re perfectly happy to listen when we say “No more.”

I know people mean well when they say how lucky our old animals are, but they’re missing the point. We are the lucky ones, to have found them.

I couldn’t agree more with author Angela Moxley, we are the lucky ones. If you would like to read an inspirational story stop by the HSUS to checkout Gray, with a Silver Lining, the story of Grannie Annie.

Now go find a senior soulmate, because as quoted by Abraham Lincoln, “And in the end, it’s not the dog years in your life that count. It’s the life in your dog years.”

* Photo Courtesy The HSUS/Michelle Riley

Not for seniors, but to adopt a senior. Dog that is, not citizen. The Ashland County Shelter in Ohio is offering discounted adoption rates for senior dogs.

The downturn in the economy has led to increase in the amount of dogs being dropped off at the shelter.  Senior dogs, those five years and older, are always harder to adopt out.

The normal fee is $60. For dogs that are part of the “blue-tag” special, the cost is $14 with a license; $24 with license and vaccinations; and $34 with license, vaccinations and microchip.

The shelter is hoping with the low adoption price of $14 potential adopters will consider an older dog.  A dog like Grampy, who was found tied to a tree, starving and emaciated. He has been at the shelter since November 10th and is on the road to recovery. Now, he just needs to be on the road to his new forever home.

Having adopted an older dog in June I know how wonderful it is.  It can also come with a few benefits, you don’t have to worry about toilet training or destructive chewing. Plus, I really believe they know how lucky they are to be adopted and the amount of love you get in return is priceless.

The Ashland County Dog Shelter, 1710 Garfield Ave., is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 419-289-1455 or go to  www.ashlandcounty.org for more information.