My Old Dog: Rescued Pets with Remarkable Second Acts

Praise for My Old Dog

"This book is a wonderful tribute to our ‘sizzlin’ seniors’! We all must open our hearts and homes not only to shelter animals, but especially to our golden oldies who so deserve wonderful, loving homes in the twilight of their lives."

— Jill Rappaport, award-winning animal advocate, NBC News correspondent, and bestselling author of Jack & Jill: The Miracle Dog with a Happy Tail to Tell

Old dogs have so much to teach us about patience, respect, responsibility, loyalty, and unconditional love. I could not put this book down, and I don’t think anyone could read it and not be moved to go out and help an older dog.

— Jennifer Kachnic, president of the Grey Muzzle Organization

Who knew that old dogs could teach human beings some new tricks: compassion, companionship, healing, random snacking, and the power of second chances. Laura Coffey and Lori Fusaro have given the beasts of the world — human and canine — a map for graceful aging and a full and happy life.

— Roy Peter Clark, author of Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer

"The wonderful, heartwarming stories in My Old Dog show that saving the life of a senior dog makes a difference, and it’s real. It’s one of the best decisions a person can make."

— Sherri Franklin, founder and executive director of Muttville Senior Dog Rescue

"Some people may be afraid that they’ll only have a short amount of time with a mature dog. But as the beautiful stories and photographs in My Old Dog demonstrate, the quality of that time often exceeds everyone’s expectations."

— Lisa Prince Fishler, founder of HeARTs Speak, a global network of artists who help animal-welfare groups

"My Old Dog is a hard book to put down. Each dog’s story sucks you in, and the many beautiful photos reveal the dog’s true personality. This is a special book for all dog lovers and a compelling celebration of the human-canine bond during a dog’s golden years."

— Jeff Theman, director and producer of the documentary Guilty ’Til Proven Innocent

The information presented here on senior dog rescue is excellent, and the photography brings the dogs alive. If you care about old dogs, you’ll love it. And if you don’t know what senior dogs can add to your life — read it!

— Judith and Lee Piper, cofounders of Old Dog Haven

"My Old Dog highlights the beautiful compassion of those who choose to love, support, and respect our older animals instead of throwing them away. The book is a look at how we can become better people, as it wonderfully illustrates the joy and fulfillment we can experience by adopting one of these good souls. It’s a testament of the transformation that love can bring about in the hearts of those facing the end of life. Thank you, Laura Coffey and Lori Fusaro. You rock!"

— Michael Harney, actor on Orange Is the New Black, Deadwood, and NYPD Blue

If you love dogs, or if you like dogs, or if you’ve ever heard of dogs, or if you’re from planet Earth, you will love this book.

— David Rosenfelt, longtime animal rescuer and author of Dogtripping and Lessons from Tara

This book is a loving celebration of old dogs and of radiant souls that shine through aging eyes. It will touch you and possibly even move you to bring a homeless old dog to share their best years with you.

— Francis Battista, cofounder of Best Friends Animal Society

"Anybody like myself who has had the honor of adopting an old dog knows how incredibly special that bond can be. Lori Fusaro and Laura Coffey have captured the spirit of these animals beautifully in My Old Dog. My hope is that it inspires many others to give these dogs one more chance to know what home feels like. Not only is My Old Dog an idea whose time has come, it is a truly heartwarming celebration."

— Jackson Galaxy, host of Animal Planet’s My Cat from Hell

"My Old Dog is the most heartwarming tribute of unconditional love on both ends of the leash! From Remy to Bretagne to Cullen to Sunny to Duval and so many more, these stories of hope and compassion are timeless. I fell in love with these dogs, and their stories serve to remind us that old dogs are like fine wine — they only get better with age. Four paws up!"

— Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of American Humane Association

"Until reading My Old Dog, I wouldn’t have considered adopting a senior dog because of the heartbreak factor. I’ve done a 180, thanks to Laura Coffey and Lori Fusaro’s shining work. This exquisite, eye-opening book needs a place on every dog lover’s shelf."

— Maria Goodavage, New York Times–bestselling author of Soldier Dogs and Top Dog

"My Old Dog is a truly wonderful book. Of course, as a dog behavior expert I am partial to stories about dogs, but this book appeals to me even more because every story reminds me just how resilient dogs are and how strong the human-animal bond can be. Regardless of age, a dog’s love is as pure as anything you will experience in your life and pays no heed to fame, money, or social standing, but it’s the devotion of a senior dog that is demonstrated so perfectly in this book through written word and beautiful photography. I love energetic puppies, crazy adolescents, and vibrant adult dogs, but the seniors really steal my heart. I suppose I’m biased because I’m lucky to share my life with Sadie, an old rescued chocolate Labrador, but when you read this book, you’ll understand why."

— Victoria Stilwell, positive-reinforcement dog trainer and star of Animal Planet's It’s Me or the Dog

"The photographs and stories in My Old Dog are spectacular and capture senior dogs in their most beautiful stage of life. Old dogs deserve all the recognition! This book makes me want to adopt more old pups!"

— Erin O’Sullivan, founder of Susie’s Senior Dogs

MY OLD DOG

Text copyright © 2015 by Laura T. Coffey

Photographs copyright © 2015 by Lori Fusaro

All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, or other — without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

Chapters describing Sunny, Remy, Boomer, Susie, and Bretagne appeared on TODAY.com in a substantially different form.

Text design by Tracy Cunningham

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

First printing, October 2015

ISBN 978-1-60868-340-6

Printed in China

10987654321

CONTENTS

Foreword: Please Hold My Paw and Stroke My Ear by Neko Case

Introduction

PART 1: FINDING THE GOOD LIFE

SUNNY, Age 18

An Energizer Bunny Powered on Love Imparts a Whole New View of Senior Dogs

MARNIE, Age 12

An Adorable Senior Rescue Dog Attains Wild Fame on the Internet

REMY, Age 9

Elderly Nuns Rescue a Dog No One Is Going to Want

EINSTEIN, Age 10

When Einstein Met George Clooney, It Was Love at First Sniff

BOOMER, Age 10

A Big, Beautiful Girl Belongs to David Rosenfelt’s Happy Pack of Rescued Seniors

AKILA, Age 15

Call of the Wild: Couple Feel an Irresistible Pull to Help a Feral Dog

PART 2: HEALING

STACIE, Age 10

Old Dog Haven: A Network of Safe Houses for Homeless Senior Dogs

FIONA, Age 17

A So-Called Hospice Dog Ditches Her Little Red Wagon and Starts Dancing

MADDIE, Age 7

Together, a Tiny Dog and a Seventy-Five-Year-Old Widow Start Living Again

JIMMY CHEE, Age 12

A Quiet Greyhound Is a Perfect Fit for a Man on Kidney Dialysis

HEALEY, Age 14

Rescued from Neglect, a Blind Dog Learns How to Love

PART 3: HELPING

ROCKY, Age 15

A Furry Nursing Home Resident Buoys Women Living with Dementia

SUSIE, Age 15

Brandon Stanton’s Pooch Helps Hundreds of Senior Dogs through Her Facebook Page

CASEY, Age 9

Jeannie and Bruce Nordstrom Love to Nurture Senior Animals in Need

DUVAL, Age 14

This Reading-Assistance Dog Is the Best Listener Ever

PART 4: RETIRING WITH PURPOSE

CULLEN, Age 9

A Retired Service Dog Finds Joy and Meaning in a New Line of Therapy Work

BRETAGNE, Age 15

The Last Known Surviving 9/11 Search Dog from Ground Zero Still Lends a Helping Paw

CODY, Age 9

After a Life in Law Enforcement, a German Shepherd Must Be Freed from Doggy Jail

CHANEY, Age 9

A Ex-Military Dog Helps Ease His Former Handler’s Burdens at Home

PART 5: HOW YOU CAN HELP

Simple, Surefire Tips for Having a Happy, Healthy Senior Pet by Marty Becker, DVM

Old Dogs Can Learn New Tricks: Tips on Training and Behavior Management by Mikkel Becker

Seniors Rock! And Here’s How to Help Them

Resource Guide

Acknowledgments

About the Author

About the Photographer

FOREWORD

Please Hold My Paw and Stroke My Ear

Neko Case

The first of many dogs to raise me lived to be twenty-one years old. She was a terrier named Buffy, and she was a loving, hilarious badass.

Buffy ran wild and ruled our neighborhood in northwestern Washington State when I was a kid, but she always — always — looked out for me. I was an only child, and my parents were gone all the time, so I learned to rely on Buffy as my most dependable friend. She waited for me to come home from school. She stayed close by when I did my homework or read books. She slept with me every night, and one of my hands was always, unconsciously, holding one of her soft tan ears. Buffy was a great dog — and I’m convinced that it wasn’t just because she was smart, but also because she knew how great she had it.

Former shelter dogs like Buffy never forget where they’ve been. They’ve lived in a shelter, and they know it sucks. Fortunately for them, though, dogs are the ultimate masters of living in the moment. They exist in harmony with this simple formula: if humans take them in and love them, they blossom. The more love they receive, the more happy and silly and generous they become. This formula is as true and trustworthy as the earth’s orbit around the sun, and I’ve witnessed it again and again over the years with more rescue dogs than I can count. I’ve especially seen it with older dogs who get sprung from shelters, so much so that these seniors belong in their own special category: the Most Grateful Dogs on Earth.

Take Liza, my sixteen-year-old black shepherd mix. The day I met her at a shelter in Tucson, Arizona, I was struck by her gentleness and patience. There she was, an older girl flanked by other dogs in the same crowded kennel. One dog kept barking and barking right in Liza’s ear, but Liza would not get annoyed. She just endured the racket with a Zen-like calm. I remember thinking, I have to get her out of here — now! That is the most patient dog on earth! And I did. I brought her home with me, and then I marveled because I have never had to teach her a single thing. Liza came to me fully formed as an ideal family member and friend. No one has ever loved me more than this dog. As years have passed, I’ve found that all I can do is try mightily to return the favor.

It makes me so happy that older shelter dogs are being celebrated in this beautiful and important book. In its pages, you’ll meet a variety of calm, content older dogs like Buffy and Liza, and you’ll see how profoundly they help people of every age, walk of life, and income level. They help widows, veterans, teenagers, nuns, movie stars, executives, blue-collar workers, novelists, and retirees. They help toddlers in children’s hospitals, first graders who are struggling to read, and twenty-somethings building their careers in New York. These mellow, worldly-wise creatures have the capacity to help anybody — because dogs, as a species, study human behavior. They really do want to learn our language. And it shows! When we feel upset, they get worried. When we feel elated, they rejoice. Dogs delight in giving us a very specific kind of love and empathy. By embracing this gift from them and loving them back, we can be helped to face almost anything.

As a child, I spent more time with animals than I did with people, and animals were the kindest creatures I knew. Now, as an adult, I can’t imagine my life without animals. I live on a farm in Vermont with a horse, a turkey, three chickens, a cat named Marty, and four dogs — Liza, Jerome, Bert, and Ernie. All of them are rescued animals who give me so much more than I give them. It’s a comfort and a privilege to be part of such unconditionally loving and grateful lives.

My dogs, in particular, have a knack for improving pretty much every aspect of my life. They make me laugh when I’m mad at myself or my day. Their happy, excited faces — so full of love and devoid of meanness — always make me feel like I am part of a legit, loving family. Thanks to my dogs, coming home from a trip to the grocery store is a celebration.

Some people think it might be too sad to adopt an older shelter dog. I get that. As dogs age, they often face health problems — or worse — and who among us doesn’t want as much time with our pets as we can get? But always remember that special superpower of dogs: they live in the moment. They live for today. They enjoy what they can enjoy right here and right now. We humans tend to worry and fret about our illnesses and frailties — but dogs absolutely, unabashedly do not. This is just one of the many lessons we have to learn from them.

By not worrying about tomorrow, dogs transform before your eyes into invincible love tanks. The oldies often have great senses of humor and bring some unexpected comedy into the house. And they often keep on trucking much longer than you might expect. Then,