When looking for a new pet, it is tempting to go for a puppy. Steve Greig, a Denver resident, would urge you to consider adopting a senior dog. He finds it so rewarding to give these often overlooked pups a new lease on life.
Steve was inspired to do this when he lost his beloved dog, Wolfgang, a 12-year-old miniature pinscher. This is when he decided to visit a shelter and adopted his first senior dog, a 12-year-old Chihuahua named Eeyore. He now has 11 elderly pups and multiple farm animals to keep him company and documents their life on the Instagram account @wolfgang2242.
“From the second I adopted Eeyore, I could tell it was the right thing to do," Steve explained. "I just immediately felt better about Wolfgang's death. It was giving life to another dog. So, it just felt really good." So good that Steve just kept on doing it.
“This is their home. I've always been a dog person, I love being around dogs,” he explained. Beyond the dogs, Steve's place is also home to Bikini, a miniature pot-bellied pig, and Betty, a Silkie chicken’s. Steve also adds that many of the dogs he cares for would have been put down if he hadn’t stepped in and adopted them.
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Many of Steve’s dogs have health issues. He is happy to give them the care they need. Festus is a blind dog. Cat, a dog despite the misleading name, is diabetic. Loretta suffers from incontinence and wears a diaper. She loves being held.
Steve does not want the medical stuff to scare people away from adopting senior dogs. “A lot of these [dogs] just would never have homes. And if you give him the proper care, they're great dogs,” he urged. "I find it comforting to know that they're living out their last years the way that they should, being loved and warm, and not in a shelter."
The dogs give Steve so much. Several of them help keep him warm at night, sleeping in his bed. “I can't imagine my life without dogs,” Steve muses “They brought me so much joy through my life that I feel like this is a little bit of payback, being able to take care of them.”
Steve points out that puppies and younger dogs are a lot of work. Senior dogs are more mellow and often easier to take care of. “There's no way I could have this many dogs if they were younger," he explained. "It would just be a nightmare, but these dogs, we get up, we go outside, they go to the bathroom, I feed them breakfast. They usually nap for two or three hours, so I can get some stuff done. So, it kind of works out."
Steve cannot stress enough the joy he gets from these elderly pups. “Being with them really makes me happy,” he stated. “We're one big family.”
