Remembering Gracie, who was the perfect senior companion

This Adopt a Senior Pet Month, we’re shining a light on the older pets that sometimes get overlooked.

We have caught up with Izzy, who rehomed Yorkshire Terrier Gracie from our NAWT Watford centre. Although the vet estimated her to be around 12 years old, she still found her forever home as Izzy instantly knew she was the dog for her. Izzy tells us all about Gracie’s story, as well as why she would encourage anyone to consider adopting a senior pet.  

“Gracie was a Yorkshire terrier who was brought into NAWT after being found tied to a lamp post in below freezing temperatures. She was in an awful condition with extremely low body weight, very limited vision, and rotten teeth. She was so tiny, and I instantly fell in love with her the first time I met her. She was very nervous at first but was always the gentlest little girl. She had such a cheeky character and used to make my partner and I laugh every day.

The vet estimated she was around 12 years old when we got her. We had her for just over 2 years before we sadly lost her due to deteriorating health issues.

I initially mentioned to NAWT Watford that we would like to be considered to foster or rehome a dog. However, as we lived in a flat, we knew it may not be a quick process. We needed to find a dog that didn’t mind not having direct access to a garden. The day after expressing our interest we were contacted about a little Yorkie who has come into the centre and needed an urgent foster home. I agreed to go to the centre to meet her. From the second I met her I knew she would be coming home with me. During the time we fostered her she had regular vet trips to fix the issues with her mouth. The whole way through she was such a trooper and would always bounce back from everything, despite being so weak. Over the first few weeks she grew in confidence and would follow me everywhere - we built such a strong bond. She became my best friend and after everything she had been through, she just wanted to be loved. I spoke to NAWT as I couldn’t bear the thought of giving her up after she was given the all clear to be rehomed, so it was agreed we would adopt her.

I never thought to rehome a senior dog, not that I was opposed to it, I just didn’t think we had the right home environment as we liked to go out a lot. However Gracie fitted in perfectly, she had lots of energy and loved playing with her toys. She also liked to bark at any passing dog! She would come into the office with me as she loved her sleep and would settle down beside my desk and snooze for the day. She was the perfect companion.

If you ever consider adopting a senior pet, please do it. I can’t express how rewarding it is to provide a warm safe home for a senior dog. I also think that as they have more life experience it really helped as we hadn’t had a dog of our own before. Please don’t be put off by their age and that they may not be able to manage such long walks. It’s surprising how active senior dogs can be. They are then also happy to settle down and have their quiet time. The best of both worlds in my eyes! Although it was so heart-breaking to lose our special girl, we always say how lucky we were to have had her in our lives during her senior years. She couldn’t have been loved any more than we loved her. It was what she deserved, as do all dogs.”

This article has been written in loving memory of Gracie who sadly passed away in February 2023. We can see just how much she was loved right up until the very end. Thank you so much to Izzy for taking the time to speak to us and share her experience of owning a senior pet.

If you are considering adopting a pet from us, you can see all the animals that are available for rehoming here.