It's now just short of 7 months since we adopted Toby, the 15-year-old Jack Russell terrier. He arrived just before lockdown and has been a lovely addition to our family. I am going to write a few words in this thread on adopting older dogs.

Adopting an older dog was a great move. They are often left until last in the shelters and are very upset at the horrible change. It's heartbreaking. So if you can, please do consider this. They also can, often, be calmer than younger dogs.

At the same time, older dogs require a lot of patience to adjust to a new home. They do not know the new rules and are often frustrated at trying to communicate things that their previous owners would have understood.

Finally, it's really important that if you take on an older dog, you commit to him/her fully. The _worst_ thing (and this happened to Toby) is when an interim adopter takes them home and then BACK to the shelter, not being able to cope. Terrible for his confidence.

Which is also to note that Toby usually gets us up about once per night needing to go outside (as just one example of the challenges of older dogs who can't go that long) -- so it's a little like having a small child. But I still wouldn't change him for the world.