Senior Dog Finds Forever Home After 11 Years In Shelter

A shelter dog was finally adopted after waiting 11 years. Vanessa had been living at Villalobos Rescue Center, in Louisiana since she had been dumped there in 2012 as a puppy. Whilst Vanessa didn’t get the best start to life, she was looked after and nurtured by staff at Villalobos. Now a senior dog, her chances of finding her forever home were even lower.

Only 25% of older shelter pups get the chance to be rehomed into a loving family. Generally these older pups already have some basic training, so you don’t have to spend a lot of time teaching them commands. They have generally grown out of puppy habits, such as chewing, and are more likely to be toilet trained too. Unfortunately, they are overlooked because most adopters are wary of health issues or are seeking out young pups. Many shelters have senior programs who will pay for all of the costs for senior shelter dogs for the rest of their lives to increase their chance of finding a forever home.

Vanessa is crate-trained, well-behaved and extremely friendly. The sweet pup finally found the forever home. Her new owner is an experienced adopter, having already adopted two dogs from Villalobos in the past. Both of her dogs had recently passed so she visited the center and immediately found her match with Vanessa.