This article published yesterday in The Washington Post will give you renewed faith in humans (just in case you were starting to lose faith). We all know that puppies and kittens are the most wonderful, adorable creatures, and that's what most folks look for when adopting a new pet. But there are so many older animals in shelters who will die there without kind-hearted humans to take them home and give them a second (or third or fourth) chance at a happy life.
It seems that when a person adopts, say, a 16 year old pit bull mix with cancer and infected eyes (after the only family she had ever known dropped her off at the shelter), the rewards are greater than imagined. The woman who adopted "Sunny", Lori Fusaro, a photographer who takes pictures of older dogs at shelters to improve their chances of adoption said, "No old dog should be left to die alone, unloved and broken-hearted on a concrete slab in a strange place." As for Sunny, she's still going strong at 17 years young and loves her trips to the beach.
We imagine it must be a wonderful feeling to give an aging and special needs animal a loving home for his or her last few months or years. Let us know if you've ever adopted an older or special needs pet-and we'd love to see pictures!
P.S. This article also mentions Val Sorenson, a co-founder of Wigglebutt Warriors, a fundraiser for pet rescues. Check out the Wigglebutt Wedding, co-hosted by our friend, Carol Bryant, pet writer extraordinaire and author of FidoseofReality, to see her beloved cocker spaniel, Dexter, finally wed the gal of his dreams!
