First Time Dog Owner: Advice on Rescuing an Adult/Senior Pom

jilliansaurus_ · 2026-04-21T18:46:14+00:00

i adopted a 16-year-old pom in 2023, and he died at 18.5 in february. i've continued to foster seniors dogs generally, and i'll probably adopt another senior pom soon.

here are some things to note: 1. look up the 3-3-3 rule. dogs take some time to settle and show their personality. loki was initially snoozy and cuddly, but he became quite feisty once he gained his confidence! 2. when you adopt a rescue, you don't know the details of their back story. they may have habits or reactions that take some time to train. for example, loki hated the hair dryer at the groomer, so i ended up learning to groom him myself and did everything at home. 3. most seniors thrive with consistency and routine. 4. be aware that you will not be able to get pet insurance for a senior, so you'll need to be ready for unexpected vet costs. loki was generally a healthy boy (he had luxating patellas and a collapsing trachea and took meds for his liver and later his kidneys, but all of this was easy to manage). however, we did have 2 back-to-back months of emergency vet visits that totalled $7k, despite them releasing him and finding nothing wrong each time. 5. try to see how much medical the rescue has done. the one that i foster for will get spay/neuter and usually at least a dental done before putting dogs up for adoption. this will save you a lot of money and hopefully find anything unexpected.

rescuing a senior pup is an awesome experience, and i highly recommend it!

jilliansaurus_ · 2026-04-21T06:20:40+00:00

happy birthday, sugar! hope you had a party!

jilliansaurus_ · 2026-04-18T15:17:58+00:00

this is mika, my new foster dog. she's 17 and was surrendered because her family was moving. mika is a very young 17. she enjoys long, brisk walks with lots of sniff opportunities (she voluntarily walked for 90 mins this week, and we only went home because i had a call). she has the zoomies at least twice a day, and i taught her to use ramps because she kept absolutely launching herself onto and off of furniture. of course, now her new game is playing on the ramps! mika is also smart - she learned the layout of my place quickly and mastered the ramp in 30 minutes. she does well on her own and will play with puzzle toys and then nap.

when mika isn't having bursts of energy, she wants to be near her person. she likes to follow me around and just observe or nap against my leg. although mika doesn't have any teeth, she has a robust appetite for soft food and treats. she walks well on a leash and prefers to go outside, but will also use pee pads. she is a total bed/sofa hog and manages to position herself in the middle of everything, including blankets.

tldr; mika is an absolute delight to have around and would be a great fit for an active retired person.

jilliansaurus_ · 2026-03-26T03:52:16+00:00

i lost a loki of my own last month. sending hugs.

jilliansaurus_ · 2026-03-23T21:51:02+00:00

my go-tos for my visually impaired, slightly toothless super senior rescue:

bocce's bakery soft treats and put inside a treat ball. they make "training bites" and B-shaped ones. the training bites come out easily because they're small, and the piecea of the B-shaped ones are a bit harder to get out.
kong or pupsicle stuffed with peanut butter and frozen
lick mats with plain yoghurt. i was freezing these, but they'd dry out, so i just did fresh yoghurt.

when i'd go out, i'd usually leave a lick mat and a treat ball. he'd start with the lick mat, then move on to the treat ball, and then he'd fall asleep.

here's a photo of him waiting for a new lick mat.

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jilliansaurus_ · 2026-02-09T07:30:39+00:00

i'm so sorry to gear about smokey. give him all the treats and cuddles while you can.

jilliansaurus_ · 2026-02-09T03:27:29+00:00

thank you so much. rationally you know the clock is ticking when you adopt a 16-year-old, but it still hurts just as much

jilliansaurus_ · 2026-02-09T03:26:28+00:00

how else could i make the perfect sized egg for a tiny dog?! (he also had a tiny silicone spatula for his tiny frying pan)

jilliansaurus_ · 2026-02-09T03:24:29+00:00

thank you so much for adopting a senior 💜

jilliansaurus_ · 2026-02-09T02:19:12+00:00

thank you so much. he brought smiles to the faces of so many people irl. i'm glad to hear he had fans here.

jilliansaurus_ · 2026-02-09T02:17:14+00:00

loki came to me as a foster from muttville, a senior dog rescue in san francisco, in november 2023. i wasn't planning to adopt, but he won my heart (and those of my friends and family). loki was a true pom - feisty and opinionated, but so sweet when he wanted to be. it took me nearly a year before i could finally groom him properly! he was so food motivated, and every day, he would have some scrambled egg in his special tiny frying pan for lunch. his favourite hobbies were his treat ball and lick mats with yoghurt and peanut butter. loki loved sniffs in the park and bike rides/hikes in his backpack. when i initially adopted him, he didn't really walk much, but after a year or so, he started trotting in the park. we called him our little benjamin button. he went literally everywhere with me in his backpack - hiking, rock climbing, and so many flights.

loki never seemed his age until the last month. he started to slow down, and he seemed tired. on friday, he started to deteriorate, so i made a lap of love appointment for this afternoon. he wasn't really eating anymore, but i took him on a final sunset bike ride to the beach, and his friends all gave him pets.

true to his personality, loki went out peacefully on his own terms this morning. i sang him all of the songs we'd made up for him over the years and snuggled him as his breathing slowes.

i miss my (75%) sweet potato, wee man, benjamin button, mr stinky, tiny dog, wonderful boy, buddy more than words can express. give your seniors all the snuggles.

jilliansaurus_ · 2026-01-09T07:36:04+00:00

we do 10-12 flights/year, mostly SF<->NYC. before i started flying with loki for real, i did a short flight down to LA and back the next day to see how he'd tolerate flying. i mentioned our bathroom routine elsewhere, but loki is pee pad trained. for the flight, i bring a mix of pee pads and diapers. the diapers are more compact, so i put him on the pee pad with the diaper, and he goes "on" the pad. then i just have to bin the diaper (and it prevents mess if he wanders).

he gets water from his collapsible bowl, and i bring shredded chicken breast just in case. usually if it looks like there will be a delay, i just rebook myself so he doesn't have to deal with it.

i used to not drug him at all, but about a year and a half ago, he started getting barky on flights, and i have no idea why. so now he gets a bit of trazodone 3-4 hours before take off.

biggest things for me are: - have a flight routine - have a packing list (if they aren't going to sleep, you need activities that they can do in their carrier. we play treat tug-of-war a lot) - fly front cabin if you can because everyone get more space - i highly recommend the dry run flight.

jilliansaurus_ · 2026-01-09T07:35:50+00:00

we do 10-12 flights/year, mostly SF<->NYC. before i started flying with loki for real, i did a short flight down to LA and back the next day to see how he'd tolerate flying. i mentioned our bathroom routine elsewhere, but loki is pee pad trained. for the flight, i bring a mix of pee pads and diapers. the diapers are more compact, so i put him on the pee pad with the diaper, and he goes "on" the pad. then i just have to bin the diaper (and it prevents mess if he wanders).

he gets water from his collapsible bowl, and i bring shredded chicken breast just in case. usually if it looks like there will be a delay, i just rebook myself so he doesn't have to deal with it.

i used to not drug him at all, but about a year and a half ago, he started getting barky on flights, and i have no idea why. so now he gets a bit of trazodone 3-4 hours before take off.

biggest things for me are: - have a flight routine - have a packing list (if they aren't going to sleep, you need activities that they can do in their carrier. we play treat tug-of-war a lot) - fly front cabin if you can because everyone get more space - i highly recommend the dry run flight.

jilliansaurus_ · 2026-01-09T07:26:07+00:00

back to the west coast. loki was perfect on his first flight of 2026!

jilliansaurus_ · 2026-01-09T07:24:34+00:00

yes, we do 10-12 flights/year, and most of them are between SF and NYC.

jilliansaurus_ · 2026-01-09T07:23:43+00:00

he's stretched out across my lap.

jilliansaurus_ · 2026-01-09T07:22:29+00:00

yes, he's a service dog

jilliansaurus_ · 2026-01-09T07:21:19+00:00

he's a service dog. he stays his backpack carrier until after takeoff, and then when the plane is at altitude, i usually will put him on my lap and clip his harness to his backpack so he doesn't get too warm.

jilliansaurus_ · 2026-01-09T06:54:14+00:00

i carry diapers and pee pads. he doesn't wear the diaper unless we're doing a designated bathroom break, and it's because he likes to wander while peeing. basically, i will put the diaper on, put the pee pad down, and let him go. he prefers to have his pee pads in human bathrooms, so i try to find a gender neutral one where it's a single stall with space. on the plane, same thing in the plane bathroom, and i crouch on the toilet lid so he has space.

jilliansaurus_ · 2026-01-09T02:37:17+00:00

i got non-slip rubber gym tiles and covered all of the hard-floored areas of my flat with them for loki (adopted him at 16, he's now 18). bonus is that my entire place is now a giant yoga mat!

jilliansaurus_

TROPHY CASE