I am sure that most dog shelters will tell you that puppies will find homes much quicker than the older dogs. This is understandable but I am convinced that many people miss out on the chance to adopt a wonderful pet that will give just as much pleasure as a puppy and with probably a lot less hassle. People are naturally concerned as to why dogs are in a shelter. Well quite simply in countries where strays are a common sight these strays can end up in shelters but in places like Crete many people both Greeks and expatriates have found them to be delightful pets. As somebody who puts great emphasis on good temperament, I have had 3 Cretan rescue dogs and all have been terrific companions plus several that I have fostered prior to them going to new homes. In northern Europe dogs can be in shelters for no fault of their own. Owners who have died, a change in financial circumstances, family break ups etc. These dogs can make loyal, committed pets. There can be many advantages to having an older dog, particularly if like me if you are not in first flush of youth. For example many of them are already toilet trained, they are calmer, quiet, sleep more, don’t need as much exercise, travel well in the car, in fact in  my experience they are delighted to find a home and behave accordingly. As I am writing this, close by is Chloe, my current companion, rescued a couple of years ago who, not only is she almost deaf but when I inquired about her age I was informed that she was so old that the veterinary surgeon was unwilling to hazard a guess!! So who wants to adopt a deaf geriatric dog. The answer is very few and obviously we won’t have her for 10 or 12 years but the overwhelming pleasure even for a short time more than makes up for the limited time together. We get a delightful, loyal dog full of character and she gets to spend her final days in comfort. While I am not suggesting that everybody goes rushing out to adopt an older dog, at least give the matter some serious thought. R

Some of my leading men have been dogs and horses.

Elizabeth Taylor