Meet Dusty, she is a 12 year old Shih tzu who loves people, loves walks, and is in need of a new home. Dusty comes from a quiet home environment where her owners are elderly and no longer able to care for her. We know that older dogs are often hard to place but this face just melts your heart and this little lady deserves to live out her final years in comfort.
Adoption is a funny thing, I used to be one of those people who “had to have” a puppy because I just didn’t know what kind of background an adult dog came from and what kind of habits it might bring. But over the years I learned a few things and discovered that puppies need a ton of attention and training. They chew everything. They eat your favorite shoes. Their needle sharp teeth make very painful holes in your fingers, and over all, as much as I love to cuddle and smell a new puppy, for me, an adult dog adoption is more practical.
Dusty, a 12-year-old Shih tzu who loves people and walks, is one of the latest additions to the Houlton Humane Society and is searching for a new home.
(contributed photo/cathy davis)
I have adopted two adults from Houlton Humane. Our beloved Shannon, a Sheltie/Beagle mix who was given up by her owners when she had a litter of pups and they thought the pups were cuter so kept one of those and dropped Mom at the shelter. Shannon was true to her breed, following her nose wherever it would lead her, and eating non-stop.
I was unaware that Beagles have this tendency, to eat and eat, and I always free fed my dogs, so when I put down food and Shannon ate non-stop I thought she must have been starved in her former life.
After she became obese, I realized she ate for the same reasons I eat, not because I’m hungry but just because it tastes good. She ended up with a weight problem, and eventually a heart problem and we sadly lost her before she was 10 years old. Would I do it again? You bet I would (adopt her, not over-feed her). Because she gave us years and years of unconditional love, joy and laughter.
Now we have Scruffy, also adopted as an adult dog from the shelter. Scruffy had been chased up and down the back roads for weeks. Nobody knows if someone dumped him or he ran away, but when he was finally caught and brought to the shelter, I fell in love, right away. Nobody ever called to claim him. We left him at the shelter for quite a while as we could not believe his owners weren’t looking for him. Then we finally made him an official part of our family.
The minute I walked him into the house, he made it his home, loved the cats, loved my dad, jumped right on his lap and stayed there for hours. We discovered he was likely abused in the past as he exhibited great fear of certain things, like hats, if you took off a hat he ran. And brooms — if I was sweeping the floor he would cower and pee.
Scruffy also had a couple of bad habits, he liked to chew and it took a few pair of my favorite shoes, the corners of my coffee tables and a little bit of trim for me to realize if I bought him lots of toys and chewy things, he would focus on those and leave everything else alone. And that’s exactly what we did. He has not destroyed a piece of furniture or footwear since. He came with a few quirks, sure, but no more than we would have had with any puppy, in fact less, as he was already housebroken and socialized and all he needed was a few more manners which he quickly learned.
My point is this … Dusty may be a mature girl, but she still has a lot of life in her and so do all the other adult animals at the shelter — dogs, cats, bunnies. They are not less valuable or damaged or less desirable companions because they have a little age to them. Heck, that’s like saying I shouldn’t try to make any new friends now that I’m in my golden years because I’ll die soon and they’ll have to mourn me. How silly is that!
Please consider giving Dusty a new home, or any of the shelter animals who are just waiting for your loving touch.
To adopt Dusty, please call 532-4037 and ask for Becky, let her know you are calling about Dusty.
