What is the experience of loving adopting middle-aged and elderly dogs?
Kristen Walton is a high school math teacher. She lives in Boston, USA with her husband David Walton, four children, and dogs. If you look through her social media and through the full screen of dog photos, it is not difficult to find that the Walton family has not only rarely had a "window period" for dogs, but are also keen on adopting middle-aged and elderly dogs.
2007
[First experience in adoption]
Although the Waltons have adopted a total of five dogs since 2007, before entering the adoption door, the Waltons' respective first dog was not adopted.
Walton's first dog
Because he did not understand the dark side of the pet breeding industry and was not familiar with the concept of adoption, the young and innocent Waltons did not think that there was anything wrong with buying a dog of their favorite breed. But as the thoughts gradually mature and the cognitive scope expands, they realize that breeders are extremely disgusting in nature by "forcing dogs to keep giving birth"; at the same time, they also learn that in shelters, millions of dogs waiting to be adopted are eager for a home of their own. So one day, the epiphany of "I didn't adopt it but bought a dog" made the couple feel deeply sinful and ashamed. They decided that if they raise dogs in the future, they would never buy them again.
After many years, I imitated the wedding photos of the adopted dog that year. After the two Labradors died one after another, the Walton couple, who now have two children, have been waiting for a suitable opportunity to welcome another dog. After learning the news, a friend who also raised a dog kept paying attention to the information about the dog's adoption. While walking the dog in the dog park, the friend met a pet doctor. The pet doctor pointed to one of the dogs on the lawn and said, "This dog has been abandoned and I'm looking for it to adopt." In this way, two-year-old Rico officially became the fifth member of the Walton family in 2007.
2009
【Best Christmas Gift: Middle-aged Dog Andy】
On Christmas Eve in 2009, the Walton couple who were driving had a sudden idea and decided to go to the nearby animal shelter. Although they didn't plan to take a dog home, this idea changed after taking a look at the dogs. Among the six dogs I saw, five were puppies, and the remaining dog named Andy was a six-year-old middle-aged dog. The moment they saw Andy, Walton and his wife fell in love with it at the same time. So, two days later, the Walton and his wife took Andy home from the shelter with their two sons and Rico.
The reason why I chose a middle-aged dog among a bunch of little puppies, Kristen recalled, "Although the six dogs we met were all cute, I especially wanted to hug Andy when I first saw him. Moreover, I was sure that the other five puppies would definitely be adopted soon, but Andy might have to stay here for the rest of her life."
2018
[The unexpected arrival of the elderly dog Misha]
In the first nine years after adopting Andy, the "residing dog" of the Walton family was very stable (although the arrival of the human younger brother and sister made the permanent population go from four to six). However, one day in 2018, David, a teacher's family, saw a flyer at the door of the men's bathroom in the school cafeteria where Kristen worked. The leaflet contains a photo of a white long-haired dog, with the words "My name is Misha, I am twelve years old, but my master has passed away. I want a home."
Although the Walton family already had two dogs, Rico and Andy (and four children), they knew they were actually fully capable of raising a third one. So, the Waltons thought to themselves, "Since we have the ability to provide Misha with a comfortable and happy old age, why not do this? Besides, this dog is twelve years old. Compared to a strong dog with a lifespan of more than ten years, the time cost (several years) to adopt an elderly dog is not much." In this way, Misha, who had been wandering around her neighbors after her death, settled down at the Walton house.
【Incorporated the elderly dog Trooper】
Since 2020, the Walton family has successively adopted Millie and Trooper. Millie, one and a half years old, was once a hunting dog when she entered the house and was abandoned in the forest for some reason. Trooper, who was at least ten years old when he entered the house, was a stray dog begging for food at the construction site. Since when Kristen saw Millie's adoption information online, there was only one dog in Walton's family (Rico and Andy passed away one after another in 2019 and 2020), Millie naturally became a new member of the Walton family.
In contrast, when I saw Trooper's adoption information (2022), Millie, the only dog in the family, was in adolescence when she had nowhere to vent her energy, and the Waltons did not intend to take over Trooper themselves. But when Kristen reposted Trooper's adoption information on social media but failed, the Walton family resolutely decided to adopt the elderly dog.
2024
[About Aging, Death, Parting]
The fear of aging, death, and parting is the reason why many people are unwilling to adopt elderly dogs, but they cannot stop the Walton family from adopting more elderly dogs. From the end of 2019 to the beginning of 2022, Rico (14 years old), Andy (17 years old) and Misha (15 years old) passed away one after another.. Even though he died, the departure of three dogs in just two years was undoubtedly a big blow to the Walton family. The death of every dog must be accompanied by the tears of the family.
Although the parting is undoubtedly painful and sad, the way the Walton family faces death is firm and warm. Unlike many people who allow themselves to be devoured by the sadness brought by the death of their loved ones and then become sluggish, the Walton family chose to use beautiful memories and the happy times they spent with their dogs to remember these dogs they had left and loved deeply.
Andy is the best partner of his youngest son Zeke. Today, Zeke still sometimes says that he misses Andy, but when he mentions Andy, he rarely cries. He will tell everyone how much he loves Andy, and he will smile and miss how happy he was when he was chasing Andy and slept on the sofa watching TV and eating popcorn together.
Similarly, whenever Kristen thinks of Misha, the happiness and warmth in her heart far exceeds the sorrow that Misha's death brings. Because she knew that Misha, who had lost her home, spent the last three years of her life in her family and received a lot of love from her family.
They know that dogs' lives are short, and aging is an inevitable thing in nature. Therefore, as long as the dogs know that they are deeply loved when they leave this world, the Waltons are happy. It is this happiness and love that gives them the courage to sort out their moods and set off again and again, and welcome another dog that longs for home with 100% love, even if there is a next farewell.
[About people's prejudice against adopting middle-aged and elderly dogs]
Kristen said, "I know that many people are reluctant to adopt elderly dogs because elderly dogs usually have few days. Although the fear of death is a normal human nature, it is still a very selfish idea for me to refuse to give an elderly dog a home. This kind of convenient decision makes people not have to face the separation so quickly, but what about these dogs who yearn for a family in their twilight years?"
"There are also some people who think it is troublesome to take care of elderly dogs. But if you really love a dog, no matter how troublesome it is, you will be willing to put in this extra energy to take care of an elderly dog that needs you more than ever. What's more, which dog will not grow old? Caring for an elderly dog is inevitable."
"Some people think that raising a dog must start with a puppy, because the character of an adult dog has been fixed and difficult to change. They especially believe that most middle-aged and elderly dogs to be adopted have experienced some trauma, which leads to some shortcomings in their personality and behavior. But raising a puppy is a very laborious thing. Starting from a puppy does not mean that you can "control" all the personality and behavior of the dog, nor does it mean that the character and behavior of the puppy will definitely be perfect when it grows up.
Instead of expecting a dog that is "perfect" in all aspects, I think it is a very beautiful thing to be able to discover, understand, and appreciate the unique character of each middle-aged and elderly dog. They may have some strange little habits, and may have a little weird personality, but it is these characteristics that represent their past and present, making them unique to them."
