Old Dogs and Cats Need Homes, Too!

Mom says that all of us will get old someday, if we live long enough.  I will just have to take her word for it because I haven't lived long enough yet to know if this is true or not.  At our house, Gabe is the oldest dog, but he doesn't act like an old dog -- well, unless his back hurts him.  I am the baby of the family, even though I got over being a puppy several years ago.  So I will be the very last one to turn into an old dog.

Maybe you have heard that saying "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."  I think this is mostly not true, even though, like I said, I don't have personal experience being an old dog.  What I do know for sure is that a dog of any age can learn to love a new family.  Which is also true for old cats.  I know that it's very sad and scary for a dog or cat to be homeless, and I know this because I have been homeless myself, like I told you before.  What's even sadder is when an old dog or cat is homeless.

Here is a link to a very nice article about older dogs and how they have lots of peace and dignity and stuff like that:   http://www.theweek.com/article/index/89914/The_last_word_Why_old_dogs_are_the_best_dogs   I think you would like to read this article because it's very good and true and well-written.

Anyway, now I'm going to tell you about a few older animals you might like to adopt from the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City.  The first one is a dog named Gilmore, who is a mix between a rottweiler and a German Shepherd.  Gilmore used to live chained up in his yard, but now he doesn't have to be on a chain anymore.  At the Humane Society, they said Gilmore is about 7 years old, but Mom and some of the other people there think he is probably more like 9 or 10.  Gilmore has really bad arthritis, so it's hard for him to walk, but he loves getting petting and treats.  He also has a very expressive face, as you can see.  Gilmore needs to live in a house that has soft, warm dog beds and very few stairs.

Rio is another dog who may be older than the age they originally thought she was, which is 4 or 5 years.  When she came to the Humane Society, Rio had icky-looking skin because she had demodex mange.  Now she's lots better, and her hair has mostly all grown back in.  Rio is a golden/lab mix, and she likes to go for walks and get her ears scratched.  Also she's very friendly and likes all the people she meets.

And finally, here's a cat named Michelle, who is 10 years old.  Michelle is black-and-white, like me, so that makes her really pretty, even if she is a cat and not a dog.  Cats can live to be 18 or 20, so Michelle is only middle-aged.  She would really like having a home of her very own where she can do lots of purring for many more years!

You can read more about these nice dogs and cat here:  http://www.hsgkc.org

Okay, that's all I have to say today.  Bye till tomorrow!