Achilles, a 10-year-old boxer mix, found himself up for adoption as a senior dog right before Adopt a Senior Pet Month.

Courtesy of Laura T. Coffey

Last month when Laura T. Coffey and her family adopted a 10-year-old boxer named Achilles, she was impressed by the senior “gentleman” on the first day they met. The dog walked perfectly on leash to hop into her car, was already housetrained and generally showed impeccable manners — and immediate affection for his adopters.

It was a stark contrast from decades before, when Coffey brought home a Labrador retriever puppy named Manny who would lock eyes with her to pee on the floor and generally acted like a “Tasmanian devil.”

“I thought, ‘I’ve dog proofed everything. There’s nothing this dog can eat.’ And he ate across our coffee table like a corn on the cob,” she recalled. “We came home and there was wood pulp all over the floor. He actually ate the table.”

Over the years — with patience and positive training — Manny mellowed and morphed into a terrific companion. In fact, he and the other family dog, Frida, were seniors when Coffey started research on her 2015 book “My Old Dog: Rescued Pets with Remarkable Second Acts.”

The book project — inspired by a TODAY.com article Coffey wrote about Lori Fusaro, a photographer helping senior shelter dogs get adopted — introduced her to people who adopt senior dogs and programs to support them.

She also learned senior dogs aged 7 and up are often the last to be adopted from shelters.

“My Old Dog” profiles inspiring seniors ranging from Rocky, a golden retriever who brought joy to women living in a memory care facility, to Einstein, a cocker spaniel adopted by George Clooney after the actor charmed the dog by smearing meatballs on his shoes.

Working on the bestselling book made Coffey realize adopting a senior dog is “not this sad, scary thing” but incredibly rewarding.

“When you do it, it’s the best thing you’ve ever done,” she said.

The Benefits Of Senior Dog Adoption

Coffey, her husband and son adopted Achilles through the nonprofit Save-a-Mutt in Silvana, Washington. The rescue organization spent months getting Achilles the veterinary care he needed, from tooth extractions to removing a tumor from between his toes. He was also neutered, vaccinated and microchipped before being listed for adoption.

“It’s an astonishing list of veterinary care, but the good news for me and for other people who adopt through a rescue group is all of this is done for you, and you get this turnkey, ready-to-go pet,” she said. “You don’t have any surprises, and you don’t have to bear the full financial brunt of this. Everybody wins.”

Senior dogs are often ideal for busy people who don’t have the time it takes to socialize and train a puppy, she noted. Additionally, some senior dogs are available with a lifetime of free veterinary care and pet food through “forever foster” programs for adopters.

Older dogs can also be excellent companions for senior people, so many animal shelters and rescue organizations offer programs with discounted or waived adoption fees for people over 65 who adopt senior dogs.

For example, the “Senior to Senior Adoption Program” at Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, Inc. in New Jersey offers free adoptions to adopters age 65 and up for animals 8 and up. The program provides extensive veterinary care before adoption, a week of virtual training and a complimentary starter kit with items like bedding, toys, initial medications and other necessities a specific pet might need, according to Megan Brinster, the nonprofit’s executive director.

“Our goal is to make sure that when the senior animal leaves the shelter with their new adoptive person, they’re set up for success and have all they need to transition from being at the shelter to being in their new home,” she said. “I love this program so much.”

The Need For Senior Dog Adoptions

Despite programs to promote senior dog adoptions, they are still often the last to be adopted – particularly big dogs. So Alice Mayn, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Lily’s Legacy Senior Dog Sanctuary in Petaluma, California, created Saving Senior Dogs USA to raise money and awareness for senior dog rescues across the country during November’s Adopt a Senior Pet Month and beyond.

Lily’s Legacy, which specializes in dogs over 7 years old who weigh more than 50 pounds, receives at least 100 calls each week from people seeking help finding a new home for a senior dog.

“The number of calls that we get is staggering,” Mayn said. “It just blows my mind.”

It’s compounded by the issue of dog adoptions slowing in the U.S. since the adoption boom at the onset of the pandemic and many shelters across the country now being full, she noted.

“The whole rescue situation is really tough right now,” she said. “Shelters everywhere are just stuck.”

Mayn hopes people will donate, foster or adopt senior dogs because there’s so much need and because it’s so rewarding. Her biggest lesson from adopting and caring for senior dogs — including Lily, the golden retriever who inspired the sanctuary — is gratitude.

“If you want a dog that is devoted to you and appreciates everything you do for them and gives you absolute, unconditional love, adopt a senior dog,” she said. “They’re all grateful, every single one of them, and it just shines out of their faces.”

Coffey agrees that senior dogs can teach their people valuable lessons. She and her family adopted their first senior dog in 2019: a 10-year-old Labrador retriever named Coco.

“Coco was just the picture of how to live and how to age,” she said. “She wanted to stay fit and active. She was calm and sweet, but she wanted to be out having fun, but it wasn’t in that hard-to-manage phase. She was just so happy. We could take her anywhere. She was the most adaptable, resilient dog.”

Coco’s previous owner put her up for adoption after going through a divorce and having to travel frequently for work — and leave Coco alone. Coffey works from home, so Coco was never alone again. The sweet senior proved to be an invaluable companion for the entire family during pandemic lockdowns.

Coco thrived in their home and lived to be almost 15 years old. Coffey felt their bond was just as close as the tight connections she’d formed with dogs she’d raised from puppyhood.

While the death of any beloved dog is brutal, Coffey feels saying goodbye to a dog adopted as a senior, like Coco, can be a particularly profound experience.

“Saying goodbye is always awful,” she said. “But in this case, it’s even more meaningful because you know that you were there with this dog right to the very end. And if you hadn’t shown up and taken this dog in, where might that dog have been? Would the dog have been as comfortable and content and secure for the final years of its life if you hadn’t stepped in? So even the worst part, which is saying goodbye, becomes filled with importance and meaning because you know that you were there for this pet in a way that was so necessary and special.”

Now she’s delighting in spending time with Achilles, who has become a “Velcro dog” who follows her from room to room. She’s looking forward to a family trip to a Pacific Coast beach in January, when she looks forward to seeing him frolic in the sand as Coco once did.

“He’s so good. He’s perfect,” she said. “Let’s not pretend like I’m doing Achilles any favors. He’s doing me all the favors.”