Noah’s Hope: This Gets Old Sometimes

We’re talking about the way some people think of old dogs as disposable.

A few weeks ago we watched as an animal control officer had to drag a big, old dog into the shelter. He looked like a Husky/Great Pyrenees mix. The dog couldn’t walk and could not even stand in his kennel. He also had a serious wound on one of his hind legs. He had been picked up as a stray, roaming the streets of Sioux City, and it is likely that he was dumped because nobody ever came to claim him.

It happens more often than you’d think. People take old dogs out and dump them like so much trash.

It turned out that this dog could walk. Apparently he had rarely walked on anything but dirt, and the concrete floors terrified him. The shelter gave him to Noah’s Hope right away so that we could get him into a home where his recovery would be faster and he would be more comfortable. We named this sweet old guy Utah. He went to the vet and had his wound dressed and got some medicine. Then he went to Palace 4 Paws where he was bathed and groomed. And finally he went home with Lita Shulenberger, a dedicated foster for Noah’s Hope, who gave him the love and attention we suspect he never had before.

In Utah’s adoption posting, Lita wrote: “Utah has a list of ailments. He is arthritic, almost deaf, and he is developing cataracts. Overall he’s not much different than some of us. There are places for us when we get old, is there someone out there that can give him a place in his retirement years?”

In Utah’s case, his retirement was short. He died February 20 in Lita’s arms, age and infirmity finally taking the ultimate toll.

All of us at Noah’s Hope are mourning Utah’s death, but we wouldn’t have done anything differently had we known he didn’t have long to live. He deserved to be loved, and we gave him love. This is true for all old dogs. They deserve love and a safe, warm place to live with plenty to eat for the rest of their lives.

We often hear people say they don’t want an older dog because the dog won’t live very long and they can’t bear the heartache of losing him. Utah is a good example of what can happen. It does hurt to lose a pet, but the pain is dwarfed by the joy an older animal can give you.

We have several senior dogs up for adoption. Our local shelters have them, too. They make amazing pets. If you are thinking about adopting a dog, please consider a senior. They have so much love left to give.

“Dogs come into our lives to teach us about love and loyalty. They depart to teach us about loss. We try to replace them but never quite succeed. A new dog never replaces an old dog; it merely expands the heart. If you have loved many dogs,
your heart is very big.”

—Erica Jong

Noah’s Hope Animal Rescue (and Thrift Store)
2601 Myrtle St.
Sioux City, IA 51103
712-253-8394

Visit our Facebook page or website for more information:

https://www.facebook.com/NoahsHopeAnimalRescue
www.noahshopeanimalrescue.com

Noah’s Hope Animal Rescue is an all-volunteer, 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. We rescue the underdogs: the old, the sick and injured, the used-up by breeders, the forsaken and misunderstood. We nurse them, bring them back from the brink, and give them another chance. We believe they make the very best pets because somehow, they understand and are grateful.