Aging dogs should be given the loyalty they have already given

I have such a great group of more than 12,000 friends on Facebook. Facebook is a powerful way to communicate important information quickly. It has been a wonderful way to help reunite lost dogs and cats, and an occasional pig, and to help connect great families with perfect pets to adopt and to rally people together for a worthwhile cause. It’s a fabulous way to keep in touch, share ideas, talk about ways we can help animals and generally do good in the community.

Sometimes we have great input of ideas from Facebook friends. Every once in a while we have a comment that makes us reflect. But sometimes we have a request that makes us just stop and shake our heads.

That happened recently.

Someone on my Facebook page commented how excited she to be getting a new house and how thrilled they were to be moving. I was filled with joy for them, too, until I kept reading and it said she didn’t want her 14-year-old dog she’d had for his whole life to go to the new house. Instead she was going to “get rid of the old dog” and get a new puppy to go with the new house.

There was a picture of the 14-year-old dog accompanying the post. It was of a cute, fuzzy little boy who looked to be sweet and secure. A little boy whose eyes had dimmed a little with age and he was a wee bit chubby and had gray around his mask.

A boy who had no idea that, after 14 years offering loyalty, love and protection to his family, his value was no longer recognized and he would be expelled as a member of the family. A boy who had spent every night in the warmth and security of his own bed may soon be surrendered to the pound where his outcome was uncertain.

He will be permanently leaving the only family he’s ever known. And now, because he is older, he’s at the stage in his life where he really needs his family.

Maybe his joints ache or his vision isn’t all that great and he can’t hear like he used to. Or maybe he’s getting a little confused and might require a little more supervision. At 14 you just never know.

But one thing I know for sure. He’s going to be so confused about this transition. He’s not going to understand what he did to be rejected by the only family he’s ever known and to be given to strangers he’s never seen before. I can almost promise you he’s going to grieve over his family. And this is all happening because he got old.

Maybe since I’m one of them, I’ve always believed pets are for life. They’re not seasonal, or disposable or that you trade them out when they’re not cute any longer. After all, we love our human families unconditionally and never want to be separated from them. Adoring dogs and cats think you’re beautiful no matter how old you are. They love you no matter what. The blessings senior pets can offer to their families is limitless. We just want to stay with our original families for the rest of our lives.

This story was originally published August 24, 2017 at 5:04 PM with the headline "Aging dogs should be given the loyalty they have already given."