A dog who was surrendered to a shelter by the only family he ever knew is facing an uncertain future as a senior rescue pet.
Wags & Walks Rescue in Los Angeles, California, recently highlighted the plight of one of its newest senior residents, Swade, in a video posted to the shelter’s TikTok account.
In the video, Swade can be seen sitting, scrunched up in the corner of his kennel, with a near-untouched bowl of food just ahead of him.
His expression is that of a dog frightened of his new surroundings. There’s some valid reason for his apparent apprehensiveness though, as the video’s accompanying caption states.
“Meet Swade, our new senior sweetheart who was unfortunately surrendered to the shelter after his family, who has had him since he was just 6 months old, moved and left him behind,” it reads.
“He had been in the same home for the majority of his life and now he’s starting over, searching for love, snuggles, and a place to call home for his golden years.”
As the video continues, viewers are shown Swade in the arms of a shelter worker and later outside enjoying a little fresh air.
Wags and Walks LA
It’s perfectly common for dogs entering the shelter system to experience this kind of anxiety. A 2006 study published in the journal Physiology and Behavior found dogs entering the shelter had three times the level of the stress hormone cortisol in their system over their first three days there than canines living in a standard household.
The good news is that Swade has started to get used to things at the shelter. Ilana Rabin from Wags and Walks told Newsweek: “His first moments here at Wags were understandably difficult, but by the end of the day he was coming to the front of his kennel, tail wagging, greeting everyone.”
Some adjustments took longer than others. Rabin said Swade would not eat for the first few days but this was understandable. “As a dog who had spent his entire life in a home he was going through an adjustment period,” she said.
However, she said he has since emerged as the “distinguished and quiet gentleman” of the shelter. “He has no trouble with other dogs, but prefers to spend his time with people,” Rabin said. “He loves to sit in a comfy bed by the window and watch the world go by and bask in the warm sunshine.”
It’s undoubtedly harder for senior shelter dogs to get adopted.
A 2015 study by the website Priceonomics using adoption data from the Petfinder online platform found that 68.2 percent of senior dogs on the site ended up being adopted compared with 95 percent of puppies.
Rabin is confident that Swade can find the right home for him though. One that provides him with the sunshine, short walks, cuddles, and bowls of chicken he’s become accustomed to.
“The best home for Swade is a home that understands an older dog’s needs. Nothing fancy, just a quiet place to call his own and a family to love him. He doesn’t mind living with other dogs, but really doesn’t care to interact with them,” Rabin said.
“He is easygoing and easy to care for. He is housebroken, both paper-trained and outdoors. He is a social eater and prefers his people near him during mealtime. A perfect companion.”