Bruno

Dear CTDR, Bruno is nine years old with arthritis in his front left paw and some missing teeth. He walks with a swaggy pimp limp that couldn't be more adorable. He's perfect for us -- mostly because of his personality but partly because of his old age. Young couples like us usually want the whole puppy-as-proxy-for-baby experience, but we were keen on adopting a dog who came "factory direct": potty trained, fully developed personality and an appreciation for some relaxation at home after a nice day in the park. While these traits aren't exclusive to older dogs, we figured a mature dog would be more likely to have them. The thought of giving a nice older dog a nice home really appealed to us too, since that would allow us to do something good for a dog that might have otherwise gotten overlooked. We can't begin to fully describe how joyful it's been to have Bruno as the third member of our unit. During the first few days after his adoption, he was a little sheepish and had no appetite. So, we showered him with love and affection and cooked him some chicken and rice to get his strength up -- a tip from his CTDR foster mom Cheryl. That's another thing that's been extraordinary about this process. Bruno's foster mom has been so incredibly helpful and communicative before, during and after the adoption. It was a little like having a canine midwife in a way, haha. We thoroughly appreciate how organized and caring our CTDR contacts have been. But back to Bruno: After about a week of shyness, Bruno came out of his shell and we've been so incredibly delighted to learn about his quirks -- the way he dances like a circus dog when he knows he's about to be fed, his very obvious, very hilarious bias for other doxies at the dog park and -- if in pursuit of a playmate or a ball -- his ability to take off in a sprint as if he were seven years younger. In any case, while we could go on and on about how fantastic Bruno is, we figured we'd take this opportunity to push our "consider adopting an older dog!" agenda. At the very least, if you're thinking about adopting, try throwing an older dog visit into your CTDR meet-and-greet process. Older dogs have a tremendous amount to offer. We hope you'll be as surprised and delighted as we were. Per and Christine