Rescue Tails / Transitions

by Tammy Fox, Executive Director, Florida Keys SPCA

It’s sad but true. Our pets’ life spans are much too short despite doing all we can to extend our time together. Keeping them healthy with good food, exercise and annual checkups with the veterinarian are important, of course. With dogs, especially, another way is to introduce a younger pup into the family. We’ve heard many success stories where the younger dog keeps the older one physically and mentally active and the older dog helps the pup learn the rules.

The Lawrence family’s experience illustrates this very well. Here’s what Anna told us.

“My husband Matt and I adopted an eight-year-old Pitbull/Lab mix from the FKSPCA in Key West about six years ago. Bella Marie!  Her owner had passed away leaving her stranded on his sailboat until his friend brought her to the Marathon shelter where she stayed for almost a year before we brought her home.  She has been our little light: she loves the boat and playing with coconuts.  Over the last couple of years, however, Bella had started to slow down, becoming more feeble and lethargic.  Matt and I had talked about getting a puppy, but wanted to wait until our sweet girl had passed so we could give every last bit of attention to her before her last days (at 14 years, we knew our time was dwindling). 

“Then I came across an article that said bringing a new puppy home to an older dog could extend the older dog’s lifespan.  That same weekend, we were out on a friend’s boat and met Koda (formerly known as Buster Brown). I fell in love instantly! The couple that was fostering him were undecided whether they could continue to keep him, so I said, ‘If you can’t take him, we will!’ Matt, the levelheaded one in our relationship, said to calm down and just see what happens. About two days after that, I got a text saying that I needed to go to the shelter to fill out the paperwork and pick up our new addition! Without a second thought, I was there the very next day ready to take our boy home.  One of our favorite movies is Point Break and we had decided a long time ago that if we ever got pit bull puppies we would name them Bodhi and Utah.  So Bodhi it was!  

“Since coming home, we have been through some ups and downs. He is very spunky and full of energy and it was a little difficult at first to fit him into both our schedules. Today we are thriving.  We take him to the fenced-in yard behind our house and play with sticks, coconuts and ropes.  He loves the boat and coconuts, so we knew he and Bella would be best friends before long.  Even though it took her a little while to warm up (he’s still the annoying little brother she never wanted) they now play together in the back yard.  We haven’t seen Bella that energetic since the first day we brought her home!  Bodhi has given her energy and added excitement to our lives. He is doing wonderfully and is a great new fit to our family. We are beyond blessed with our little family of four.”

If you own an older dog and are inspired by Anna Lawrence’s story, don’t hesitate to talk to our staff about introducing a younger pup into your family. And take a look at the Resources page on our website, www.fkspca.org for more information on this subject (and many others!)

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