Happiness could be a warm senior anydog

I'm fifty four years old and am beginning to discover there is more to middle age than first meets the eye. I admit that it was a little distressing to realize that 'young' men of forty were calling me Ma'am. It was more than a little humbling to realize that the law of gravity had such a personal application.

At heart, I'm still the bread baking braless earth mother that I was in my teens. But I have discovered that there are advantages to middle age that easily transcend the negatives.

Like everyone else, I've learned a lot of life's lessons the hard way. What does that mean in realspeak? I might not have the same endurance ... but over the years I've learned what works and what doesn't. In many instances I can actually get more done because I don't have to reinvent the wheel every time that I do it.

This is actually a pretty great time to be in one's fifties.... if one is a human being. Sadly the same is not true for middle aged and senior pets when they suddenly find themselves homeless.

There is no way for them to 'compete' with the cute little youngsters. Potential adopters are concerned about the possibility of potential health issues. Others are afraid to give their hearts for what could be a shorter time.

At the end of the day there are no guarantees in life. A pet is not like a car ... where you can be sure that the newer model will last longer. The one thing that we can be sure of is that middle aged and senior pets have learned their own life lessons too.

There is nothing wrong with wanting an easy life and adopting a middle aged or senior pet brings its own set of blessings. They are generally housetrained and like a good nights sleep as much as you do. Best of all, they are old enough to know better and make calm and settled companions. There is no wondering how big they will get or what their adult selves will turn out like. What you see is what you get, so its easier to recognize a kindred spirit.

There are many lovely adult pets available, but right now in NS there are five great senior dogs listed - Patty , Smokey , Radley , Brandy and Jake . ( If you have read this blog, or the old one, for any time at all you will remember the No Country for Old Dogs story where the three chained senior dogs in terrible condition were rescued by HART, a TNR group in Kings County . The TLC Animal Shelter kindly agreed to take the three dogs in and Smokey is the last of the three waiting for a taste of the good life he should have had from the start. He might be a bit more of a challenge than the other four, but the person who adopts him will have unimaginable love and devotion in return. )

Its no secret that I have a special spot in my head and my heart for homeless senior pets. They don't bring our human hangups to the table. I expect none of them understand that not being young and cute might be a handicap to finding a new home.

They are eternal optimists who are willing to give their hearts. They are each of them living proof that it is much easier for an old dog to learn new tricks than for most humans to understand that.