A new way to adopt older dogs
Ruff Start is trying something new to help find homes for older dogs (FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A Minnesota dog rescue is hoping to find homes for their older dogs by turning to shoppers looking for vintage finds.
Ruff Start Rescue paired up with the Minneapolis Vintage Market Sunday, hosting an adoption event at the monthly market.
“They go hand-in-hand--people who love the old stuff we’re hoping they love the old dogs too,” said Ruff Start Rescue Founder Azure Davis.
This is the first time the market has included a dog rescue among it’s 30 to 60 vendors.
“Everything has a story and that’s why people love vintage,” says Hayley Matthews-Jones with the Minneapolis Vintage Market. “They want something unique that has a little history, a little well worn, a little dog eared—excuse the pun—something with a little character.”
According to the ASPCA, the senior dog adoption rate is only 25 percent compared to 60 percent for younger dogs. The organization says they are often the last to be adopted and the first to be euthanized.
“I think people are afraid of the medical issues,” said Davis. “I also think people are afraid of the heartbreak.”
Ruff Start Rescue offers half-off adoption fees for senior dogs. The organization also has a Seniors For Seniors program, where anyone over the age of 65 who adopts an older dog pays $65.
“They’ve already been trained, they’ve been in a home, they know how to love someone and be this companion dog that people are looking for,” said Davis.