Senior dogs run a higher risk of being euthanized in shelters and are typically difficult to rehome for obvious reasons: the disabilities, diseases and deterioration that are a part of the natural aging process. Then there's the myth that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" and all those eye-catching irresistible puppies that mother nature provides with the ultimate marketing ploy: unabashed cuteness. How's a senior dog supposed to compete?
As the good folks at Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary (OFSDS) know, mature dogs should be celebrated – and considered when adopting – for their loving and laid-back demeanor and the fact that so many are already trained to some degree. All of this makes them perfect companions for low-key humans, a major selling point the OFSDS staff emphasizes to perspective adopters.
Taking these important points to this nation's people during an election year is Mildred the Pug – the "Geezer Party" candidate from OFSDS who has thrown her hat... well, bone... into the 2016 presidential race. Around the time of the first debate in the summer of 2015, the patriotic pug was featured in a few photos on OFSDS's Facebook feed. One follower who believed that now is the time to "put a pug in the White House" thought Mildred would make a stand-up candidate to fight for the rights of elder dogs. Before long she was drafted. The American people had spoken, and Mildred listened with her finely tuned doggy ears.
Headlines and Global News' Pets Happy Zone caught up with Zina Goodin, a co-founder of the Tennessee-based sanctuary that houses about 20 senior pups at any given time, and even scored an exclusive on Mildred the Pug's presidential bid!
We celebrate senior dogs, focusing on the life that they have between their rescue and passing. They relax, they smile, they live their life to the fullest extent of their ability. They are happy for that time. Dogs do not dwell on their previous lives and handicaps as long as they are comfortable, loved and well-cared for. We aim to provide that for as long as we can. It is in the knowledge that we were able to give contentment to these senior dogs that we find peace in their passing. When they are no longer enjoying a good quality of life and have no reasonable chance to return to a good quality of life, it is time to let them go.
What have your Old Friends taught you?
We learn from our Old Friends to live in the moment. Appreciate what you have now. Don't dwell on the past or worry about the future. Value the present.
Reporting by Tracy Hughey and Kimberly M. Aquilina
