Senior dog adoption

Adopting a senior dog was one of the most rewarding and heartwarming experiences

September 5, 2024

Our little Bear was 11 when we took her home from the Swan Animal Haven. We thought we were adopting a slow, sad, old dog. . . then we took her to the beach. The instant we unclipped her lead, she took off. Our senior dog quickly became a tiny black speck in the distance. For more than an hour she ran up and down the beach, splashing in the waves and checking in on her way past to make sure we were still there. She thoroughly enjoyed what we suspect was her first ever trip to the beach. She is also the best big sister. Her younger brother was frightened of everything when we adopted him. He was scared of water, he tried to run home from the park after a scary dragonfly landed on him and he flat out refused to walk across bridges. Her assertive, fearless demeanor has given him the confidence to follow her into the ocean, run around happily at the park and even walk across some very short bridges.

The joy she finds in every moment is inspirational, whether she’s shouting at the magpies in the gumtrees at park, letting her ears flap in the wind while we’re driving, or racing us to get the best spot on the bed at night, her face lights up with delight. She turns 15 next month and although she’s a little slower now, her joyful nature has not diminished. We know that we will be devastated when we have to say goodbye to her but we are trusting that when that happens, the next senior dog we adopt will heal our broken hearts the way she did when she came into our lives. We hope that sharing her story will inspire someone else to open their hearts to one of the senior dogs still patiently waiting for their happy ever after.🙏❤️‍🩹