Unwanted older shelter dog finds furever home after foster pawrent fell in love with the senior dog and couldn’t let him go, dog dad says: ‘The shelter did not expect him to be alive more than a few months at 14 yrs old, and now he will be 16 soon.’

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Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Jun 1, 2026 1:00 PM EDT

It is not often that a senior doggo finds a furever home to live out their days once their health begins to deteriorate. But for one lucky pupper, that is exactly what happened.

We join this story sourced from Reddit's r/dogs subreddit when the pawrent had gone through some life troubles and in an effort to restart their life, decided that fostering some doggos could do him some good. After all, it feels good to do good. But it was not enough for this foster pawrent to simply take on the easy doggos who will find a home almost instantly.

No, this hooman wanted the old and the less abled, the doggos who go overlooked and hardly ever get the chance to feel like someone's pet once more. In doing so they took care of seven special puppers finding homes for all of them. Except one, the one who came back to him, the one who they felt truly hurt when he was adopted. The one that was destined to be his own. This is the story of the starcrossed pupper and pawrent, and their journey to find a home within each other. 
 

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  • 01
    "I can hear him snoring in his bed right now, cuddled up to his teddy bear." e e
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    I remember telling myself "please let me find meaning in anything" after having much of my life flipped onto its head a few years ago. Pushing the
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    restart button in your late 20s can be a bit scary, but I am so glad I did now. I wanted to start fostering to cheer myself up. I loved
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    dogs, and thought volunteering at the shelter this way would be helpful. I had no idea just how helpful it was, and I found myself fostering 7 dogs
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    before adopting my current one. 5 of these dogs were seniors, or dogs with disa es. I specifically asked for them because I
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    knew how overlooked they were, and I wanted to bring them happiness. I work from home so they always were really good office buddies,
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  • Ok, we need a break, this is getting so emotional already and we have barely even scratched the surface of this story. Already the act of giving 7 dogs a warm and loving home to wait in until they are found furever homes is an incredibly generous act. But for those dogs to largely be of the senior and less able variety is simply unreal. Not only for the extra workload they come with, but for the bravery and dedication that such a choice brings along with it. It is a rarity, even in the foster pawrent space and we are just so delighted to see a dog lover with such a large heart. 
     

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    and saying goodbye was bitter-sweet as you'd imagine. I started fostering a dog named "Bone" 2 years ago. He was 14
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    years old, had arthritis in his hips+knees, and underweight. He had not the best life. In may ways, he was going to be a tough sell. He didn't care
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    for pets, had a hard time standing for long, nep iy that made it difficult for him to know when he had to (), and was much more content with just existing in the
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    Cheezburger Image 10634330112
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    same room with you. Much like a cat in dog form (lol)! I fostered him for a few months before he found his family. Saying goodbye to him wasn't the same
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    as the others, and I felt deep down in my stomach that I had made a mistake. To my surprise, he was brought back the next day because he had an accident in the
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  • Well, that is rather serendipitous isn’t it? Though judging by the description this foster pawrent gave of this doggo it is not all too surprising. Many prospective pawrents bite off a bit more than they can chew when adopting a doggo. It is tough not to, your heart goes out to them and when we lead with our hearts, we often make some slightly brash decisions. But it seems as though this is the best thing that could have happened considering how heartbroken this foster pawrent was to see their special doggo leave their temporary home.
     

  • 13
    house and the new owners were mad about that. After a bit longer fostering him, I adopted him! My first dog as an adult! It has been a
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    Cheezburger Image 10634329856
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    wonderful experience having him live with me. He is very much a "one person" type of dog, and I am that person by default lol! Although, that isn't
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    completely true because he loves my partner, but that's about it haha! I have made a commitment to ensure he lives the rest of his days with happiness, and I have stuck with it.
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    We go to the park every single day, we get pup cups, we pile up on the couch to play Playstation, we play tug-o-war, and we care a lot for each other. My life has revolved around
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    him, and I made sure it was going to be that way. I have left trips early to come home because he is ans without me. It has certainly not
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    Cheezburger Image 10634330368
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    been easy, nor would it be financially viable for a lot of people. I spend a lot of money each month on his supplements/medici
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    ne, and he will often have p p accidents in the middle of the night. I am usually up at midnight and 3am with him when he can feel that he has to go, but a lot
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    of times he doesn't even know :(. I only say this, because if you're going to adopt a senior dog it's important to know that these may be a factor.
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    However, I know he is living the rest of his days comfortable, pain- free, and loved! That is what really matters.
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    Cheezburger Image 10634329600
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    I couldn't help but chuckle and think back to what I said to myself 2 years ago. I had no idea I'd have a dog, and especially not a senior one. The shelter did not
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    expect him to be alive more than a few months at 14 years old, and now he will be 16 soon. I thought about making a post once he passed, because
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    it would help me, but my viewpoint and relationship with dth has shifted, and I know when it's time that I will accept it. I will be a blubbering mess for a while, but I
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    couldn't imagine NOT fostering or adopting more special needs dogs in the future. I can hear him snoring in his bed right now, cuddled
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    up to his teddy bear. "Please let me find meaning in anything" is what I thought two years ago. With tears in my eyes, I look at my snoring old man and know that I have.
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wanted falling in love old foster find reddit story pawrents senior dog dog story furever home shelter dogs dog dad
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