Category: Adoption Stories

When Mitch first came to the Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society in Jackson County, North Carolina, he was a stray. He was thin, high-strung and clearly had been through a lot.

Mitch is a treeing walker coonhound. With the staff’s care, he slowly calmed down and became a gentler dog. But the years kept passing, and no family came for him.

Seven years of waiting

By the time Mitch was 12 years old, he had spent seven years at the shelter. He was its longest-staying resident. For a dog, seven years is a huge part of a lifetime.

A video and a decision

Then Teresa Shular came across a video about Mitch online. His story stayed with her. She did not rush. For several days she prayed and thought it over, weighing whether she and her husband could give him the home he deserved.

In the end, the answer was yes. And in a small-town twist, the shelter’s assistant manager, Jodi Henkel, turned out to be Teresa’s former elementary school PE teacher.

Never give up

Mitch now lives with Teresa and her husband, with a porch to relax on and plenty of land to explore. After seven years of waiting, the old hound finally has a place to call home.

His story is the shelter’s message in a single dog: never give up on the ones who wait the longest.

Thinking about adopting a senior pet?

Older dogs and cats are often calm, gentle and already house-trained. If you are curious whether a senior pet could fit your life, our Adopting an Older Pet guides are a good place to start.

At Saginaw County Animal Care and Control in Michigan, one dog had been there longer than anyone else. His name was Yankee.

Yankee is a 7-year-old pit bull terrier mix. He had spent nearly 700 days at the shelter, almost two full years, watching other dogs come and go.

Why some dogs wait longer

Dogs who are a little older, or who belong to breeds people have mixed feelings about, often wait much longer in shelters. Yankee was both. Every month that passed made his chances seem smaller.

A lucky day

Then came a St. Patrick’s Day adoption event. That day, Yankee made a special connection with a family who stopped to meet him. It was the moment the shelter had been hoping for.

The family adopted him. As Yankee left the building for the last time, the shelter staff who had cared for him for nearly two years lined the hallways to cheer him on his way.

Worth the wait

Yankee’s story is a reminder to look past age and breed. The dog who has waited the longest may be the one who appreciates his new home the most.

Thinking about adopting a senior pet?

Older dogs and cats are often calm, gentle and already house-trained. If you are curious whether a senior pet could fit your life, our Adopting an Older Pet guides are a good place to start.

At the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in southern Utah, two senior cats named Pyro and Raoul were inseparable. They napped side by side, and they even went on outdoor walks together on little harnesses.

Both were about 12 years old. One was black, the other orange and white. For older cats like them, finding a home is already hard. Finding a home that would take two at once is harder still.

A couple who knew loss

Lucy and Ray Tocci, a couple from New York and longtime Best Friends supporters, had recently lost their own older cats. Their house felt empty, and they wanted companionship again.

They met dozens of cats at the sanctuary. Any of them could have gone home with the couple. Which one would it be?

The cat who chose

In the end, the cats made the choice. Raoul attached himself to Ray right away, and that settled it. And since Raoul and Pyro were a pair, the Toccis decided to take both of them.

Getting two senior cats from Utah to New York was its own adventure. Ray arranged for the cats to fly home with them in the cabin, even upgrading their seats so the carriers would fit.

Home together

Today, Pyro and Raoul snuggle on the couch and in their new family’s laps in New York, still side by side. Their story shows that some friendships are worth keeping together, and that older cats can bring a quiet house back to life.

Thinking about adopting a senior pet?

Older dogs and cats are often calm, gentle and already house-trained. If you are curious whether a senior pet could fit your life, our Adopting an Older Pet guides are a good place to start.

Dozer arrived at Dogtown, part of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, when he was 12 years old. He was gentle and friendly, and he quickly became a favorite with staff and volunteers.

Still, the years went by, and Dozer was nearly 14 when his chance finally came.

A family he had already met

Daphne and Dave Lupfer, a couple from eastern Pennsylvania, had met Dozer while volunteering at the sanctuary. They never forgot him. When they came back, they decided to adopt him.

One big problem

There was a catch. Because of Dozer’s age and a liver condition, he could not travel by plane. His new home was more than halfway across the country. For a moment, it looked as if the distance might keep them apart.

The long road home

Volunteers stepped in. A team drove Dozer across the country, through winter weather, all the way to Pennsylvania. It was a long trip for an old dog, but he was not making it alone.

Dozer left the sanctuary in early December and arrived safely at his new home, where he now has a big backyard and his very first taste of Pennsylvania snow.

His story is a reminder that adopting a senior pet sometimes takes a little extra effort, and that plenty of people are willing to go the extra mile, sometimes thousands of them.

Thinking about adopting a senior pet?

Older dogs and cats are often calm, gentle and already house-trained. If you are curious whether a senior pet could fit your life, our Adopting an Older Pet guides are a good place to start.