Rehoming Older Dogs

For older dogs who have lost a human companion due to a residence change, or who are left without a caregiver due to illness or death, ElderDog works to provide care and companionship through:

  • Foster care in an approved foster home
  • Adoption to an approved home

ElderDog provides loving homes for older dogs to live out their lives with the dignity they deserve. We endeavour to re-home older dogs with older people who want the loving companionship of an older dog.

For dogs to be eligible for long-term care in the ElderDog Dog Care Program, they may:

  • Be 10 years or older – age criteria may vary depending on breed/size (long-term and perpetual care planning is available for younger dogs)
  • Have worked in a service/caregiving capacity
  • Have no history of aggression
  • Have experienced or are about to experience a disruption in their lives due to change in residence, human companion illness or death
  • Live with an elderly human companion who needs dog care assistance in order to stay together
  • Have care needs that can no longer be adequately provided
  • Face health and/or mobility challenges
  • Be deemed “unadoptable” by an animal shelter or humane society due to age, mobility, or state of health

Want to foster or adopt an older dog?

Because older dogs may have special age-related needs or experienced recent disruption or stress, we take extra care to find homes that best suit the needs and abilities of both the dog and human. Our application process helps us place our dogs in homes that will enable the human-animal relationship to flourish. Our application process follows four easy steps:

  1. Complete a Foster Application or Adoption Application.
  2. Our Re-homing Coordinators contact you to set up a telephone conversation.
  3. We arrange a meeting in your home.
  4. We arrange a get-acquainted meeting with a dog.

For information or application, please contact us. 

Teachings from an Older Dog


The satisfaction of a good meal, a warm bed, and a leisurely walk reminds us of the pleasure in simple things.

Living in the moment, as dogs do, makes way for a tremendous capacity for contentment.

With the quiet companionship of an old friend there is no loneliness; only a strong presence of a meaningful other.

Regardless of how we look or feel or our abilities or challenges, we can count
on an old dog for acceptance without judgement.

It is remarkable how long an older dog will wait, fixed to a spot: for our return, for that delicious bone she suspects is coming her way, for a promised car ride. Patience.

There is no need to tell an older dog how to behave on good or bad days. They
have an amazing capacity for empathy.

A thud of a tail on the floor at the mere sound of our voice or appearance is the sound of love.