When you see oldies in rescue..

I always feel sadder when I see an oldie in rescue ,
You think they might have been settled for over 10 years and then they BOOM they find themselves in strange kennels ..
Must be sooo hard.

I can never understand how you can share your life with a dog for years then give them up, most problems can be overcome IMO

I hate when people judge a situation before they know the background i think most people who give up an older dog have probably got good reasons you don't just give up a life long companion unless their was no other choice their could be any number of good reasons its not ideal as the dog is old must like you say find it very hard in a kennel but most of them seem to find homes quicker then most staffies do. If its a nice looking dog i think doggy sensible people will quickly adopt them. I check Battersea on a regular basis out of habbit and you dont see old dogs on their pages for long they very quickly find new homes.

My heart does ache for them.

I, myself, have an oldie from a rescue and I can honestly say that he is one of the best dog I ever had!

He was 10 years old when we adopted him but have been in the cold kennels for 2 years.

Breaks my heart to see the oldies in rescue. I just want to bring them all home.

I'll never forget the one that came into the shelter not long after I got Rupe. Little scruffy black terrier type, 15 years old, hard of hearing, couldn't see much, if anything, due to cataracts, and stiff as anything. Why was he there? Well he just slept all day so his owners got a new puppy but he kept growling at it every time it went near him. Obviously he had to go because the kids wanted a dog they could play with He died in the shelter just a few days later. I felt so awful that I didn't take him home with me but I couldn't have kept him safe from Rupert

It breaks my heart and I try not to linger on the whys and where-fores.
Of course they are not all dumped. Their owner may have died or be in ill health.

When we adopted Pepsi we went specifically to get an older dog. Especially as we are no longer spring chickens
Pepsi is 10 and her last owner was elderly and unable to cope with a dog anymore.
She is certainly repaying us 10 fold

Oh believe me, people DO give their old dogs up to rescue for no other reason than to trade them in for younger models! Often they don't get homes so quick

My next rescue is going to be 8+

Reading the stories of why they are in rescue makes it worse sometimes .
Owners passing away,Being put in to care homes or just not being able to look after them ..
Seems to be different reasons than younger dogs in some cases ...

God yes, THOSE stories are doubly heartbreaking

It is so sad, sad to see any unwanted dogs but the reality is, while there are people who specifically want oldies, many are passed by for younger dogs also needing homes.

I walked an adorable shaggy old bear at Dogs Trust, he had cataracts, a respiratory condition meaning I could only walk him for about 10 mins and he smelt terrible That said, he really enjoyed his short stroll ambling along, sniffing the smells, listening to the sounds, enjoying the fresh air. Even with cataracts his eyes managed to sparkle when I gave him a treat.

Who knows why he was there, he could have had an elderly / infirm / deceased owner or he could have simply got too old and boring for his current owner and too expensive to treat. Very sad.