Sara
You are never too old for love.
Everyone seems to prefer puppies over senior dogs. That can be for quite a few reasons. Puppies are younger and can be trained easily. Senior dogs seem to have some health complications. But that does not mean that they do not deserve love and care. Growing old is a part of life. There’s no escape. But that does not mean you can’t live a good life. A good life is a process. It is not chosen for you rather you chose one for yourself. Even when the odds are against you, you can still try to have a life full of contentment. There are a lot of great things in your life that you tend to forget or realize. All you gotta do is look closer. For instance, if you have a dog. You don’t JUST have a dog, you have every reason to be happy in life. No amount of gratitude is ever enough.
Dogs can truly be the greatest gift of life. And to have a dog is to have a sense of responsibility and care. Just like us, dogs have an unpredictable life of mainly 10 to 13 years. But through history, we know that dogs tend to hang around a bit a little longer than that. And what more could we ask for? No, they cannot stay with us as long as we do but WE WISH! Alright now, enough being sad. As long as we have our cute doggos around, we’re going to celebrate them. Although, we’re dealing with senior dogs today that have without a doubt, stolen the crown of cuteness from the little ones.
Scroll below to see how they’ve managed to do that.
1. “Meet August, Officially The Oldest Living Golden Retriever! She Turned 20 Years Old”
She has no idea what ‘Happy Birthday’ means, but she loves it! We’re sure of that.
2. “Our 11-Month-Old And 8-Year-Old”
Never too old to love and be loved.
3. “Almost 18 Years Old And Still Sleeping With The Toy Frog She’s Had For 14 Years”
Some friendships are timeless.
If you are a dog owner, then let us tell you, you’re a lucky man. But you also know how fast they grow. Seems like just yesterday when you got them as a little woof-woof and in a blink of an eye, there they are! All grown up, ready to take over the world. However, we were anxious about why and how do dogs grow up so fast? And to find that out, we decided to ask Somya Anand, who happens to be a dog behaviour specialist at Monkoo Dog, which is an online community that thrives to build a sustainable life for pets.
Anyway, during the interview with Bored Panda, Somya Anand said, “It is generally observed that smaller breeds reach full growth faster than larger breeds. It also varies with mixed breeds and the growth milestones are usually closer to the dominant breed variety.” This means the growth of any dog depends mostly on its breed. Hmmm, that’s reasonable.
4. “My Dog Is 16, So I Figured It’s Time For Some Driving Lessons”
But but… I don’t even have a learner’s license yet. #ImJustAKid.
5. “Good Boy Can’t Chase The Sprinklers In His Old Age, So Now Sits And Waits For It To Come To Him”
With age comes wisdom…That’s one clever boy!
Somya also added, “a pup has become an adult dog as it completes one year; while this may not be accurate, most breeds reach full growth in this time frame—12-18 months—and hence it has become a general rule of thumb.”
6. “Wynton (13-Years-Old) Braving The Cold With My Grandpa”
When your hatred towards your sibling is so immense, and your mother buys matching Christmas sweaters for you. Not.Cool.
Generally, a dog is considered a senior one when it reaches 5 to 10 years of age. Since we now know that large dogs age faster than smaller ones, it should not come off as a surprise if a Great Dane is considered a senior at 7 years and a Chihuahua at 20 or more.
7. “Cody Is The Bestest Old Boy”
We wanna hear about the part when the dog ‘stole’ the newspaper for his own good. We know that has happened before!
8. “When I Adopted 14-Year-Old Francis Last Year I Was Told We Would Only Have 4-6 Weeks Together Because Of His Arthritis And Poor Mobility. Well, We Celebrated Our One Year Anniversary Today”
The dog’s face has the ‘I made it’ look & we love that!
9. “Just Cause Benji’s An Old Boy Doesn’t Mean He’s Not A Cute Boy”
‘I may be older, but I’m still cuter!’ He sure is.
You see, most dogs are like us. Not literally but keep reading and you’ll get the idea how. What happens in the case of the middle-sized breed is that usually around 2 years of age they stop growing at all and soon start to show signs of retirement by age 7. During this time, they gain weight, their sleeping and eating patterns change, and overall their functioning degrades.
Somya explained that “the rapid growth spurt lasts generally till six months and then becomes more gradual. So don’t be surprised when your tiny little puppies become big overnight!” *Phewww*
It all comes down to taking care of senior dogs. Extra care. Crucial ages are 7 to 9 when most dogs are prone to develop diseases or health can easily deteriorate. So, it is important to brush their teeth, take good care of their diets and lastly, keep up with physical activities. You only want the best for your dog and nothing else.
10. “I’m Elton And Today Is My 19th Birthday”
Looks like somebody partied hard last night! 19 has never looked better & cuter.
11. “My 16-Year-Old Pug’s First Time Visiting The Beach. He Was Born Deaf And Partially Blind From Age”
The smile says it all.
12. “This Is Sadie. She’s 17”
And your prom queen is here!
13. “My 15-Year-Old Chihuahua Has Very Sensitive Eyes Due To Iris Atrophy. Here She Is In Her “Doggles”
D.O.G.G.L.E.S!
14. “My Best 14-Year-Old Man Chance Stole The Show At My Wedding Last Year”
We mean, why wouldn’t he?
15. “Old Man Bruno, 12 Ish, Doin A Glamour Shot”
Your face when you realize you’re afraid of having hypochondria. Weird hmmm.
16. “We Adopted A Senior Saint Named Mikey Yesterday And I Think It’s Safe To Say His First Trip To Grandma’s Went Well”
Old friends are the best friends.
Did you know that senior dogs are prone to depression and anxiety? They actually feel down when left alone for longer periods. So, it doesn’t matter if they’re growing old, a nice stroll in the park or playtime would still keep them happy. We must give them our best, just as the doggos have been giving their best to us.
17. “Celebrating Molly’s 16th Birthday With A Walk To The Pier”
Simply breathtaking.
18. “My 14-Year-Old Golden Retriever, Still Wanting To Play Like A Puppy”
Seems like he’s enjoying the snow shower.
19. “She Thinks It’s Her Job To Pull Rocks Out Of The Lake. The Big One Is 14lbs. She’s 12 Years Old”
Anything that keeps her happy, makes us happy.
20. “This Is My Old Boi Link – Or Linkers – Or Lonk If I Accidentally Hit The Wrong Key. He’s 10 And Still Very Much A Puppy. Loves Smoochin’”
Some things are meant to stay. It’s the smile for this one.
We’re definitely enjoying these great senior dog moments. And although these dogs might be growing old, their love and silliness never do. They still know how to rule our hearts with their adorable expressions. I’m not getting emotional, you are. Let’s just keep on scrolling before we shed a tear or two.
21. “Met This 19-Year-Old Senior The Other Day”
Loving this chunk of fur!!!
22. “Today Is My Dog, Tax’s 22nd Birthday. Still Truckin’ Along”
He’s still got a sharp ear for the can opening.
23. “My Wife And I Adopted 2 Senior Dogs. Meet Oscar And Maggie”
Two (old) dogs are better than one. Clearly.
24. “Diesel (9) Is Turning 10 This Month, And He’s Melting From All The Excitement”
And here we are, melting from all the cuteness.
25. “The Arizona Humane Society Uses Boots, A Senior Dog, To Acclimate Kittens To Dogs”
Woah! Didn’t see the little one over there. But we think it’s working just fine.
26. “So, This Is Athena, She Is A 9-Year-Old Labrador. As You Can See She’s A Chunker But She Gets Jealous When She Sees Our Smaller Dogs On Our Laps And Throws A Fit”
‘So, of course, I have succumbed to her commands.’ Hah, that’s a given!
27. “My 10-Year-Old Dog Likes To Sleep On My Legs. I Made Her This Out Of Some Of My Old Jeans For Her To Sleep On While I’m At Work”
Wait, till it finds out.
28. “My 13 Yr Old Shar-Pei Before And After I Tell Him He’s A Good Boy”
Ain’t nobody calls him old. Because it ain’t got any wrinkles to prove.
29. “He’s Old, He’s Blind, And He’s Very Smelly. But He Is By Far The Bestest Boy I’ve Ever Known. Meet Brewer”
We love us some smelly old doggos!
30. “Stout Is 16 And Wants Your Scritches”
Oh Stout, how much we wish we could!!
31. “Our 14-Year-Old Girl, Still Smiling”
That grey fur and smile is to die for!
32. “Shadow (14-Years-Old) Is My Handsome Old Man. He Used To Be Completely Black With A Little Bit Of White”
Doggos George Clooney is here.
33. “My Millie Girl Is A Beautiful 16-Years-Old. We Adopted Her When She Was 12. She Is Completely Deaf, But That Doesn’t Stop Her From Anything. 100% Good Girl”
She didn’t choose graceful life. The graceful life chose her.
34. “Old Man Aegir Turns 15 Next Month. He Converted Back To Puppy Mode In This Mornings Snow”
Once a puppy, always a puppy. Never forget.
35. Meet My 18-Year-Old Siberian Husky “Damon”
Tired but happy.
36. “Senior Dogs Deserve Extra Pampering”
Anndd the fur shall remain.
37. “My 19 And A Half-Year-Old Dog Is Starting To Slow Down, We Appreciate That We’ve Had Her This Long”
Put this pup back in the kiddie pool.
38. “Old Girl Audrey Is 10 Today”
We see the love for pink didn’t change. Still looks good!
39. “I Heard You Guys Might Like Muddy, He Just Turned 14 Yesterday”
Well, Muddy doesn’t appreciate you staring at him. But we can’t help it!
40. “My Old Boy, Still Around After 25 Years”
Well, someone got to stay this long! *happy tears*
Too cute! We’re in awe of this old beauty. Dogs are meant to grow old. Their fur might turn grey, they’ll outgrow your lap, and even slow down, but that doesn’t mean their love for you has decreased. Take it from us, it hasn’t even one bit. It just keeps growing for as long as they’re around. If you happen to have a senior dog, then share their stories (and pictures) of them, with us. We’d love to hear your stories.