'Friendly' 13-year-old dog spends weeks in North East kennels as charity finds older animals are often 'overlooked'
Dogs Trust has found that older dogs can often take much longer to rehome
by Nicole Goodwin · ChronicleLiveMeet Maggie, the "sweet-natured" dog who has found herself living in kennels at 13 years old.
Despite greeting everyone she meets with a waggy tail, this loving crossbreed has spent the last six weeks waiting to find a new home. And Dogs Trust, which is currently caring for Maggie, believes this could be due to her age.
On average, dogs spend just under 50 days in the care of Dogs Trust while they wait for their forever home. However, older dogs can often take much longer to rehome with around nine per cent of dogs currently in the charity's care – 137 hounds - being older dogs.
While Maggie's age might be deterring new owners from giving her a home she deserves, she doesn't let her age stop her. She has a nose for adventure and loves exploring when on her walks, especially in quiet areas, which are her favourite locations.
Alex Hennessey, manager at Dogs Trust Darlington, said: "Maggie is a very sweet-natured girl who is friendly and fun. She will be a fabulous canine companion when she meets her forever family."
Dogs Trust Darlington decided to shine a spotlight on Maggie to mark Grandparents Day this Sunday in the hope that people will open their homes and their hearts this gorgeous golden oldie.
Alex added: "Older dogs can often be overlooked and not considered when it comes to rehoming and yet there are many benefits of rehoming an Old Age Pooch. Older dogs are often calmer and don't need quite as much exercise, and although they may be a little less energetic, they can be just as fun and playful.
"They are also more likely to be fully house-trained and they usually know other training basics too, but you can certainly still teach an older dog new tricks. An older and wiser dog can make the perfect companion and best friend, and they are every bit as loving and loyal as any youngster.
"Grandparents Day gives us the chance to put our golden oldies in the spotlight and to remind people that an older dog should always be considered if you are looking for the perfect pooch."
Maggie can be unsure of other dogs so is looking to be the only pet in her new home. She would also like to meet her new family a couple of times before she says a fond farewell to all her friends at Dogs Trust Darlington.
If you think you could help Dogs Trust Darlington show that age is just a number, please visit this link. For more information on caring for an older dog visit this link.
Join our WhatsApp communities
ChronicleLive is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our communities.
We have a number of communities to join, so you can choose which one you want to be part of and we'll send you the latest news direct to your phone. You could even join them all!
To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press 'join community'.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.
Join the ChronicleLive Breaking News and Top Stories community
Join our Court & Crime community
Join the Things to do in Newcastle and the North East community
Join our Northumberland community
Join our County Durham community
Join our Great North Run community