Battersea Dogs & Cats Home are asking the public not to overlook older dogs who are looking for new homes.
A nine-year old mongrel named Daisy has been at Battersea for nearly 100 days, but so far no one has come forward to give her a warm home this winter. 
Daisy’s owners got her from Battersea eight years ago as a young dog, but a change in circumstances brought her back to the charity this year, as her owners found it difficult to keep a large dog like her.
Steve Craddock, Centre Manager at Battersea, said: “When Daisy was at Battersea for the first time as a young and energetic dog, she found a hoe after just 15 days. Now, Daisy is back for a second time as an older dog, and she has still had no interest after being there for close to 100 days.
“Sadly, large breeds like Daisy don’t have as longer life spans as smaller dogs do, living for an average of around 10 to 12 years. While Daisy is in the twilight years of her life, she still acts like a big baby. She loves to bounce around and play with her favourite people, curl up for cuddles and is always most comfortable carrying around one of her soft toys.”
For Daisy, the older she has got, the harder it has been for her to find a new home, which is the same issue for many older dogs that end up at Battersea.
In the past three years, Battersea has rehomed over 900 dogs aged seven and over and while the average stay for a dog under seven years old was just 31 days, for dogs seven and over this jumps up to 40 days.
Steve adds: “Many people prefer to rehome puppies and younger dogs, so that they can have them for their whole lives. But people often forget how much time, training and exercise younger dogs need. Older dogs, like Daisy, are already house trained and while many still have a lot of get-up-and-go, older dogs need a lot less exercise making them a lot less work for a new owner.
“Older dogs are often much more relaxed than younger dogs, and in a lot of cases they would rather just have a cuddle on the sofa and some human affection, than be running around chasing tennis balls all day. Older dogs have a lifetime of love to give and will cherish every moment spent with their favourite people.”
If you’d like to give Daisy or another older dog at Battersea a home, you can visit www.battersea.org.uk.
