November is adopt a Senior Pet Month, every Sunday we have been featuring Senior Pets. We hope you enjoy this one: TUCKERS STORY After my childhood dog, Gus, a bright, funny, loveable German Shepherd, passed away, my family and I were not ready for another long-term commitment. We were too heartbroken to reattach ourselves so quickly to another dog for another 10+ years. We were not exactly in the market for another dog when fate decided to intervene. I had tagged along with a friend of mine to a beagle rescue to pick up a dog that he had just adopted, so I decided to walk around the kennels while he was finalizing his adoption. That was when I saw Todd, a dirty, un-kept Australian Shepherd in a sea of beagles. Tucker’s adoption photo on the rescue website. When I asked the adoption counselor about him, she informed me that he had been searching for a home since he was a puppy and he was now 13-years-old. I went home and told my parents about him, and we decided to go back later that evening so they could meet him, with the intention of fostering him for a while. When we got to the rescue, we told them we had come to see Todd and they handed me the leash and begged us to just take him. His smile melted my family’s heart, and he seemed so excited just to be out of his kennel, so off we went with our new, rather unexpected, member of the family. Our first stop was to visit a family friend who just happened to be a veterinarian, Dr. Paul Lynch. He let us use his groomer’s tub to give Todd, who we re-named Tucker, his first bath. After a clean bill of health from the good doctor, Tucker came home. We knew that by adopting a senior dog, we probably wouldn’t have much time with him and that we would most likely be looking at some increased veterinary expenses as his health declined. After having cared for Gus in his twilight years, we were already equipped to deal with limited mobility issues, dietary supplements, incontinence, or anything else that might come our way. We figured we were just going to take care of this little old dog until he too passed, so we were prepared to care for him without getting too attached. What we weren’t prepared for though, was to fall so completely in love! Tucker brought a wave of sunshine into our lives that burst through our gloom. Despite his age, Tucker was one of the happiest, most excitable dogs that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Absolutely everything made Tucker happy. If you sneezed, he came over wagging his tail in delight. If you dropped a pencil, it was the most exciting thing ever! When we came home from work, he bounced and barked as though this day couldn’t possibly get any better. It can be quite an adventure taking on a senior dog. Since Tucker had spent his life in a rescue, he was exposed to very little novel experiences. When he came to my house, absolutely everything was new and exciting to him! My family and I came to really enjoy showing him new objects, introducing him to new people and dogs, and taking him to new places. He wagged his tail fiercely when he saw himself in the mirror for the first time, as well as the first time he felt carpet, grass and sand under his paws. Tucker never had a single bad day in his life after we took him home. Aside from being ridiculously happy all of the time, Tucker had quite a few quirks too. Since he had spent his entire life in a small dog run, he could only make right turns. On several occasions I attempted to teach him how to make a left turn, but he would just stop in his tracks and look at me as if I was out of my mind. He also preferred wearing jingle bells! During Christmas I put some doggie jungle bells around his paws, and he loved them so much he would go and find them and bring them to me if I took them off. So for months at a time he was known as “Jingle Tuck.” Even as Tucker’s health declined, he was still a joy to be around. The pleasure he brought to us each day helped us pull the pieces of our broken hearts back together and we healed. When Tucker was a little over 15, he joined Gus over the Rainbow Bridge. But this time we were not sad or depressed. We were happy to have had Tucker in our lives, even if it was for a short time, and we knew that we had done a good thing for him by giving him his first and last forever home. We couldn’t imagine our lives without Tucker, and my life has been forever changed because of him. Tucker’s enthusiasm and spirit for life taught me to appreciate every single day. He also taught me to enjoy the little things in life. Tucker came to us when our hearts were aching and he made it better. He left our lives with a smile on his face, finally knowing love at last. Adopting Tucker was an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. If you are thinking about bringing a dog into your home, I strongly urge you to consider adopting a senior dog! You may not have them as long as you might have a puppy or a younger dog, but they will love you with everything they have, until their very last breath.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 03:03:43 +0000
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