Show off your beautiful senior dog or cat in Petsguide’s Golden Oldies Beauty Pageant!
Petsguide Magazine Online
May 2011
Go on, show off your senior pet! Email us a photo of your pal and be automatically entered in a drawing to win cool prizes. Entries will be posted on this site. Winners will be selected by readers. Keep checking this space for updates and new photo entries.
Entries will be accepted until May 1. Readers can vote for their favorite senior pet until June 1 by emailing us their choice. Make sure to put “GOLDEN” in your subject line when you cast your vote!
1. Reader Dee Sato, shares: “Larry is a very young, 12 years old Welsh Terrier. I love this photo because I never knew what he looked like when I give him hugs. After someone snapped this photo, and I saw that big, goofy smile – I see that the feeling of love between us is mutual!”
2. Tara Lupo has this to say about her pet: “Lucy-Lee-Lu-Dog-Lupo, I’ll turn 20 years young on April 1st 2011 that is when she came into my life, she is older than that, but she’ll never revile her true age.she has lived a long life and is still kickin’. she also has many talents and is educated.”
3. Amie Newberry is the proud owner of wise-looking Cabo. “Here is Cabo, a true ‘golden’ oldie, 13 years young this July. :)”
4. Amanda Wainfan is camera-friendly Scout‘s owner. Wheaten terrier Scout is tip-top at 13: From Scout: Hai! I am very happy to be with my family! They took me to this fun place where I met other dogs and had a great time! They give me lots of treats and peanut butter! Gotta go, the neighborhood cat is out!
My dog, who has grown up with me, just recently went to her first dog park. She was so happy, she was acting like a puppy again. Before she went to the park, she was not very interested in anything or awake a lot of the time. however, since then she has been quite joyful, setting her appearance back 10 years! I took this goofy picture on the way back from the dog park knowing she meant to say ‘Thank you so much, I love you!'”
5. At sweet 16, Joey is Sr. Paula Cooney‘s beloved pal.
6. Hop-py Year of the Rabbit! Davin Dawson submitted this photo of 11-year-old French bulldog Serge, dressed to welcome the 2011 Lunar New Year.
7. Martina Steege and her family adopted their bright-eyed Belgian Shepard/Chow mix, 12-year-old Morgan, almost 10 years ago.
8. Reader Cheyenne has owned Snoop for 9 years and shared over email, “He was found by my uncle on the street. When he was found the vets guessed he was 1-2 years old. He’s very outgoing, loud, and sweet. He loves to be dressed up and is a happy senior dog :)”
9. Karyn Harmon wrote: “Please consider our gentle giant Quinn. Quinn was rescued from death row in the County of Riverside and has been living with our family since 2005. Quinn loves to lay around and be mellow while our baby Laynie snuggles up to him or uses him as a personal playgym. Quinny also shares his home with his four legged siblings, Pia the pug and Foster the cat.”
10. Jerry Guerin offered a glimpse into Katie‘s very active life with her human family: “Katie turned 12 on March 26th of this year and has been with us for the past 11 years (we were her 4th owner within the first year of her life). She loves go go backpacking, camping, kayaking, being “The Boss” to her boxer boyfriend on the block. She also loves just hanging in the backyard with a cigar & margarita with her dad (her dad has the cigar & margarita). She is the love of our lives!”
11 & 12: Teri Harvey didn’t have just one, but two, lovely seniors to submit: Korbi, an 8-year-old cocker/poodle mix; and miniature dachshund Torey Pines, also 8 years old.
13. Jeff and Betty McConnel submitted their dog, Misty: My name is Misty. I am 10 years old – but think I am a puppy. I would rather play ball than eat. Just came back from a campout in “my” motorhome.” Going to the bank is high on my fun list. They give me biscuits. I live with Mother Betty and enjoy having Jeff come from Hawaii to vist me. The world was put here to love me.
14. Stacey Hopper has the following to say about 9-and-a-half-year-old Maddy: “She is the smartest and most loyal companion anyone could ask for….and she can still play like a puppy when it’s worth it….but she is wise enough to be selective in those opportunities! ; ) Since i am a dog walker, she is surrounded by some younger pups all the time….and they adore her as much as i do! I think this picture shows her saying ‘why do i have to share you and my house and my car with all these young punks….arent these supposed to be MY golden years?’ : )”
15. Lisa Smith, a volunteer with Pug Rescue of San Diego, shared 15-year-old Bailey‘s story: “Bailey came to me at the age of 15. She was dumped at the Lancaster, CA shelter by her owners. They said that it was okay with them if the shelter euthanized her because she was no longer eating or drinking. The shelter staff offered her food and water and she ate and drank fine, so luckily her life was spared. However demand isn’t high for ancient pugs…so we came into the picture.
I volunteer for Pug Rescue of San Diego (www.pugbutts.com). I took the two and a half hour trip out to Lancaster to pick up the old girl and bring her safe into rescue….little did I know she would crawl deep into my heart and never leave my home.
They led her out and it was obvious she couldn’t see well and she was weak and staggered. I picked her up and she stunk of filth and infection. Her eyes were hopeless and dead, you can even see it in her shelter picture.
Once home, I set about bathing her. Her collar was matted into her fur with filth and old food. I had to soak her and remove it slowly. I’m sure it hadn’t been removed in ten years her tags were worn smooth, except one, which read in the faintest letters ‘BAILEY.’ Her ears were horribly infected and she was stone deaf. We figure she is about 95% blind, seeing only the largest shadows.
With good food, supplements and antibiotics, she began to look better right away. The second picture is her after I had her just a few days. You can see the light in her eyes, her gratitude shows in her face.
I have now been privileged to have Bailey in my life over a year. At 16, she rises every morning long before the other dogs and barks to welcome the day….and to push me to get her breakfast….I have many pugs, many seniors even, but Bailey will always hold a special place in my heart. I know she won’t live forever and her time is short. But if any living being ever deserved to live forever, it would be old dogs.”
15. Amy Wheeler adopted 11-year-old Indy, a deaf cattle dog/corgi mix rescue from Seal Beach Animal Care Center.
16. You’d never know adorable yellow Lab Serena is 10-and-a-half years old, said her owner, Joan Smith: “She is the Princess of the household. She loves people and her toys. She’s incredibly fast at the park–chasing her toy, and returning it to me immediately. Her first trip to Yosemite was when she was 4 months old, and has celebrated several birthdays swimming in Bass Lake. She’s as excited now as she was at 2 years old, but she sleeps alot more. As a friend says, ‘she’s Joan in a dog’s suit.'”
17. Love is forever between reader Alicia Hecht and Honey, her sweet friend of 13 years. “Hi my name is Honey. I am 15 years old. I have been with my mommy since 1998. I was a rescue. Most of my life with mommy I was a happy, smart, a high energy dog. I love to please my mom. I would tell mom to get me goodies (like carrots “yummy”) out of the refrigerator and pantry. Mommy would call me the 8th Disney Princess. I am slowing down and I found out recently that I had kidney failure. I had a good life with mom. When it is time to meet my maker. I will miss my mommy and she will very much miss me as well.”
18. JJ is the 16-year old Boarder Collie/Queensland Heeler mix of Carol Petyo. Doesn’t he look great for his age? This picture was taken at a ranch where he recently visited to remember his working days. JJ came to Carol and her family as a puppy, quickly becoming her daughter’s constant companion. He went to college with her everyday, and because she worked on a cattle ranch JJ was trained to work cattle. He is a talented hard working dog, but best of all a constant companion through good times and bad. Even though JJ is now deaf, and has difficulty getting around, he loves a walk in the country. He has moved on from keeping Carol’s daughter company, to watching the grandchildren. Carol says, ” I thank God for every day we have with our Grandpa J, he has more heart and love then I believed possible.“