Older dogs are passed over due to “the puppy preference”

Okay, so puppies are adorable. No one can deny it and secretly we all long to adopt one and watch it grow into the cool dog we raise it to be. But far too often, potential adopters get too swept up in the lure of giant puppy eyes and playful baby dog antics to give older dogs a shot. Unfortunately, this often makes it incredibly hard for older animals to get noticed, as they wait for the right family to come along.  While puppyhood doesn’t last forever, adopting an older shelter animal can be a chance to make a new best friend who will reward you for giving them a chance for years.

Pirate’s long wait for love

Pirate Marie used to be one of the many adult pets in shelters all over the world who spent years just waiting for someone to notice her. Poor Pirate had already spent seven years in the Oahu Animal Shelter in Oahu, HI and wasn’t getting any younger. “She just kept getting overlooked,” Amanda Villeme of the Oahu SPCA said. “People don’t want to adopt older dogs because they think it’s going to be more work.” Ironically, anyone who has ever adopted a puppy can tell you that bringing a baby home entails a huge amount of work, no matter what species they happen to be.

Pirate’s future hero enters the scene

Pirate, a beautiful mixed breed senior girl, was beginning to give up hope of ever leaving the no-kill shelter she had come to know as home. But in 2017, a US Army woman named Jennifer Hoyt was stationed on the island and destiny began to turn its wheels. Jennifer longed to welcome a dog into her home but had plans to wait for her fiance’, fellow Army officer Dennis Shaffer, to join her on the island a few months later. After all, the young couple still needed to find the perfect house, get to know their know home, and settle into their new surroundings.

Jennifer decides to look into her options

Though Jennifer had agreed to wait until Dennis arrived to pick out their future fur-baby, she decided that there were other ways to get her dog fix. She decided to start by becoming a volunteer at a local dog shelter. As she did a little research online, she came across Pirate’s profile on the Oahu SPCA’s website and felt an immediate tug at her heartstrings. Curious to learn more about Pirate’s story, she looked into her background only to discover that the mature pooch had been living at the shelter for seven long years. Overcome with compassion, Jennifer knew she had to do something.

What’s the harm in looking?

Jennifer presented her case to Dennis, who agreed that she should at least go down to the shelter and meet Pirate. There couldn’t be any harm in just meeting the shelter’s longest inhabitant, right? With Dennis’ blessing in hand, she arranged to go down to the shelter and meet Pirate in person the next day. Little did she know that nothing that could have prepared her for her first meeting with the devastated Pirate. When Jennifer arrived to give Pirate a few pets, she discovered that the old gal had sunk into severe depression from being passed over for so many years.

The devastating reality of lost hope

“She didn’t look at me; she didn’t look at anything,” Jennifer said. “She was emotionally detached. That broke my heart.” Jennifer tried to take Pirate out of her cage for a walk but found that nothing interested the old pup anymore except for a few blades of grass. Having spent years at the shelter, Pirate had likely seen a wide variety of volunteers come and go. Initially she probably just assumed that Jennifer was just one more kind stranger who would take her out for a while and then leave her yet again. Jennifer couldn’t help but feel a crushing sense of guilt when she left the shelter that day.

Pirate gets some new treasures

Though she had promised her fiance that she’d wait for his arrival to do anything drastic, Jennifer knew that she couldn’t just do nothing at all. She decided that she’d attempt to add a little joy to Pirate’s life by bringing her a new bed to curl up in and even a toy to play with. Pirate approached her new gifts with skepticism at first but after some encouragement, couldn’t resist trying out her new treasures. After a while, she even approached Jennifer and gave her a few heart-melting nudges of gratitude. At that moment Jennifer knew that she had earned a place in the jaded little lady’s heart.

Jennifer and Pirate get the official okay

Jennifer couldn’t restrain herself from visiting her new buddy nearly every single day. She would later admit that she would spend up to 8 hours a day at the shelter keeping Pirate company. Even when she left the shelter at night, she began to find that it was harder and harder to go out and have a good time with her friends while knowing that Pirate was lonely without her. The more their bond deepened, the more anxious Jennifer became for Dennis to meet her new best friend.  Luckily, upon hearing how close his fiance’ had become to Pirate, Dennis agreed that she should go ahead and dub Pirate the newest member of their family to be.

Adoption day finally arrives

On July 13, 2017, Pirate’s life changed forever. That was the day that she finally got to walk out of her cage forever and leave with Jennifer as her official new fur-mom. Thrilled to finally make it official, Jennifer took Pirate home to check out her brand new digs.  The once hopeless girl who had grown accustomed to a concrete floor was now treated to a big back yard, plenty of treats, and lots of cuddle time with mom on the couch. For the next month, Jennifer and Pirate grew even more bonded than before. Now the only question became how Pirate would react to Dennis when he finally arrived?

Pirate finally meets her fur-dad

At first, Pirate was understandably a bit wary of Dennis. After all, she and Jennifer were incredibly close after spending time together. Who was this strange man who dared to enter her new home without Pirate’s permission? Happily, Dennis knew the little lady’s story and was patient as she started to warm up to the idea of him being a part of her forever family. Before long, Pirate realized that Dennis wasn’t an intruder and ended up giving him a chance. It wasn’t long before she completely warmed up to him and accepted him as the great fur-dad he’s become.

The shelter’s hard work pays off

Pirates old friends at the SPCA couldn’t have been more thrilled to see her go to such a wonderful home. “Pirate is OFFICIALLY in her new forever home!” the shelter announced on their Facebook page.  “Thank you to Jennifer Hoyt for showing all the love and compassion you have for her. This journey with you has been nothing but inspiring, we can’t wait to see the new adventures she’ll have with you! We love you Pirate and Jennifer!❤” Though it can be hard for shelter volunteers and staff to watch senior dogs be overlooked year after year, Pirate’s story was proof that even the most unlikely stories can have happy endings. 

Pirate gets a new name to match her new life

Not only did Pirate find a great new family to call her own, she even got a new name. Well, sort of. Though she had been Pirate for so long that it felt wrong to change her name completely, it was Dennis who suggested that they add on an addition. Hence the artist who had formerly been known as Pirate officially became Pirate Marie. It isn’t just her name that’s changed, but her whole personality. The formally despondent little lady has come out of her shell and started to live again. Jennifer comment that “She is literally one of the happiest dogs I’ve ever seen now.”

Life is good in forever home

These days, Pirate Marie lives the good life with Jennifer and Dennis and loves treats, belly rubs, and smiling for the camera. She’s even got her own Instagram page where you can follow her adorable adventures. In one of her posts, she writes, “Hello everyone! I just wanted to send a message out to remind everyone why my pawrents help me with my own Instagram account.. to raise awareness for all of the great seniors out there and to show the world that all animals deserve love, whether we are young or old. I also made this page so that my old shelter friends could keep in touch with my new and amazing life and so that the world could share in my new life adventures.”

Pirate urges adopters everywhere to keep an open mind

Though Pirate Marie found the perfect home, she’s right when she mentions that there’s still a great deal of awareness that needs to be raised about adopting senior dogs. While dogs over five years old tend to have much lower odds of ever being adopted, there are plenty of great reasons to give them a chance when looking for your next furry friend. Why chose a mature dog over a puppy, you ask? Well, as it turns out, the dogs who you may be least likely to consider when browsing through Petfinder come with plenty of great perks of their own.

Older dogs generally require much less training

Though a puppy may be adorable, things may get a little less cute when they make a chew toy out of your favorite pair of shoes. Older dogs like Pirate already have the basics of training firmly down. They know that if they need to potty, they should do it outside rather than right in the middle of your new rug. Senior pooches also tend to know basic commands such as “sit,” “stay,” and “come.” Shelter volunteers are very aware that the better behaved a dog is, the more chance they have of being adopted and tend to spend as much time as they can teaching them the basics.

Don’t assume an older dog is a problem dog

Some people may assume that if they see an older dog in a shelter, it’s because someone else got tired of their incessant barking or chewing. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Many shelter dogs end up in animal shelters for reasons that have nothing at all to do with them. Some have had previous adopters who have passed away, been unable to take them along when moving, or simply had to give them up because of allergies. Don’t assume that just because an older dog initially gets a bit excited when they see you that it’s evidence of what they’d be like at home. Imagine how excited you’d be to see a new potential friend after spending months or years alone in a cage.

Old dogs actually love learning new tricks

Even if you’ve fallen in love with an older dog who needs a little work as far as training goes, don’t be afraid to give them a shot. The old adage that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks is a total myth. Older dogs are just as intelligent as puppies and usually respond even better to training. While puppies may or may not have the attention spans of a toddler on espresso, older pooches are more likely to have the focus to pick up the information you’re trying to lay out. No matter how old your new friend is, they’ll love learning something new after all that time in the shelter with nothing to do.

You will never have a more loyal friend than an older adopted dog

Don’t get the wrong idea, we’re not out to bash puppies here. They’re adorable in every way and deserve great homes just as much as any dog. That said, they are much more likely to get adopted and fortunately will never understand just how truly precious a gift that is. Older dogs who have spent a great deal of time in a shelter know exactly what you’ve done for them when you take them home. They’ve likely watched plenty of people pass their cages in favor of a younger dog and the fact that you chose them will never be lost on them. Rest assured, you will be showered with kisses and love from the moment you take them home.

Older dogs can make great additions to families with kids

While every kid would doubtless love a puppy, older dogs have plenty to offer in the way of temperament. Having passed through their bouncy, chewy puppy days, they’ve graduated to a stage where they tend to have a much calmer demeanor. By doing a little research, you’ll even find that many older dogs have lived in families with children before and are used to their antics. This can be especially reassuring if you have very young children who may not know better than to pull their tail or crowd their space.  While puppies can be unpredictable, especially while teething, an older guy or gal will know that your children’s behavior is no cause for concern.

Older dogs tend to be less demanding

While some may worry about the vet bills that could be incurred when adopting an older dog, they may actually be less expensive than a puppy in the long run. Puppies require just as many vaccinations as older dogs do, not to mention clean up costs for chewed household items and accidents on the rug. Whereas it’s fairly easy to access an older dog’s temperament and health, a puppy may come with plenty of surprises and can rack up as many vet bills or training costs as a senior pooch. Younger dogs also require a great deal of attention and work, due to the fact that they are still babies. Many older dogs, however, will be thrilled just to snuggle up on the couch will you and enjoy a good game of fetch in the back yard.

If you’ve enjoyed Pirate Marie’s story, be sure to share it with your friends, especially those who may be in the market for a new fur-friend soon!