June 07, 2024

Adopting a Senior Dog - Book Tour

  

Today I welcome back Carmen Leal, author of When Love Wags a Tail - a memorable book on dog rescuers and their furry rescues!

About the Book:

Our four-legged friends have huge hearts. Carmen Leal never dreamed tragedy could bring positive change. Suffering a traumatic brain injury after a car wreck, the marketing pro struggled to find her center and reclaim her life, but found her world changed forever when she adopted a rescue dog.

 Flourishing on her new furry friend’s unconditional love, she turned her talents to supporting canines still facing grim futures. Working tirelessly over the course of four years, she’s helped find homes for over 6,500 dogs and collected endless tales of wonderment and triumph. A portion of her book sales are also donated to a foster-to-adoption group.

 BUY at:  AmazonBarnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. Add it to your GoodReads reading list.

Adopting a Senior Dog - By Carmen Leal

 I was sixty-two when we moved to Wisconsin from Hawaii after I experienced a traumatic brain injury. My doctor back home had suggested more than once that I get an emotional support dog. I could not imagine how having a dog would help; the cost and time I’d need to invest had me saying no each time he brought it up.

When I finally gave in and went to an independent rescue shelter, I knew what I didn’t want. As cute as they were, there was no way I was going to get a puppy because my many years ago my young sons talked me into taking home a cuddly, eight-week-old golden doodle. Within a year he was over eighty-pounds! That was the scoundrel that had me saying no more dogs.

 Now that I have owned my own dog and helped over 6,500 rescue dogs find homes, I can tell you that Brutus, the dog who soured me on ever owning a dog again, was just the wrong dog at the wrong time for the wrong family. Both adults worked, we didn’t have a fenced yard, and we didn’t understand the needs of a high-energy puppy.

 I ended up adopting a medium dog who was fourteen-months old. A lot of that puppy behavior was already gone and, this time around, I had time to learn how to train him to be a great dog.

 Today, Coconut is almost eight-years-old and I am seventy. I can tell you without hesitation that we’ll be adopting a senior dog our next time around. Puppies and even adolescent dogs are cute and fun and full of energy. But, and there’s always a but for every age group when it comes to choosing a dog, here are five benefits of adopting a senior.

 1.    They aren’t teething so they won’t chew up your furniture and other items in your house.

2.    2. Older dogs are typically housetrained so that middle-of-the-night trot in the sub-zero back yard isn’t usually an issue once you and your new pooch learn to communicate with each other.

3.   3.  An older dog has grown into their size and personality, so what you see is what you get and there aren’t many surprises.

4.    4. Senior dogs sleep. A lot and preferably near their person. Best of all they sleep through the night.

5.    5. Every dog needs exercise, but older dogs like a more leisurely pace, just like senior adults.

 The last, and actually most important reason to adopt a senior is because you will truly be a life-saver. They're often overlooked in shelters because of all the fun puppies and younger pooches. They make instant companions and, while you might not have them for as many years as a puppy, what could be more rewarding than making the last years of their life the best they can be? You’ll never feel more loved than by a dog who knows you are his or her hero.

 About the Author

 Carmen Leal is a storyteller, mom to "Coconut," the best imperfectly perfect rescue dog in the world, and a reluctant gardener. She is the author of multiple books, articles, devotionals, and human-interest stories. Carmen relocated from Hawaii to Oshkosh, where she and her husband learned a "crazy amount" about Wisconsin weeds. 

She is also an active member of the Oshkosh Southwest Rotary Club, part of her neighborhood association's leadership team, and is an adjunct professor for Fox Valley Technical College's award-winning E-Seed Entrepreneurship workshop. When she is not writing and speaking, Carmen reads, cooks, and is a major bargain hunter at consignment and antique shops.

**** A portion of every book sold is donated to Second Chance North, an area foster-to-adoption group that helps to rescue more dogs. Follow Carmen on Facebook at #rescuemoredogs.

 * Find Carmen online at Wagaway Publishing or her personal Facebook page.  

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Blog Tour Calendar

*  June 7th @ Candid Canine

Visit Chris' blog for a guest post by Carmen Leal about the benefits of adopting a dog as a senior. https://candidcanine.blogspot.com

*  June 10th @ The Faerie Review

Visit Lily's blog for a spotlight of When Love Wags a Tail by Carmen Leal. https://www.thefaeriereview.com/

*  June 12th @ Barbara Barth's Art & Words

Visit Barbara's blog for her review https://barbarabarthartandwords.blogspot.com/

*  June 13th @ Knotty Needle

Visit Judy's blog for her review http://knottyneedle.blogspot.com/

*  June 15th @ The Forgotten Books

Join Heather for her review https://www.instagram.com/The_forgotten_books_

*  June 16th @ A Wonderful World of Books

Visit Joy's blog for a spotlight of When Love Wags a Tail by Carmen Leal. You can also win a copy of the book! https://awonderfulworldofwordsa.blogspot.com/

 * June 17th @ Frugal Freelancer

Visit Sara's blog for a spotlight of When Love Wags a Tail. You can also enter to win a copy of the book! https://saratrimble.wordpress.com/

*  June 18th @ Words by Webb

Visit Jodi's blog for her review https://www.jodiwebbwriter.com/blog

 * June 20th @ Knotty Needle

Visit Judy's blog for a guest post by Carmen Leal about taming a wild garden when you don't know where to begin. http://knottyneedle.blogspot.com/

 * June 23rd @ The Shaggy Shepherd

Visit Isabelle's blog for a guest post by Carmen Leal about the value of planting a rain garden. https://theshaggyshepherd.wordpress.com/

 * June 25th @ World of My Imagination

Join Nicole for a review. You can also win a copy of the book. https://worldofmyimagination.com

 * June 27th @ Fiona Ingram's blog

Visit Fiona's blog for her review https://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com/

June 30th @ Jill Sheet's blog

Visit Jill's blog for her interview with Carmen Leal https://jillsheets.blogspot.com/

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