A senior rescue dog who found herself back at the same shelter where she was first adopted more than a decade ago is tugging at hearts online after a rescue organization shared her story, vowing to give her a second chance.
Lola, believed to be around 13 years old, was recently surrendered to an animal shelter, where records showed she had first arrived in 2014. At the time, shelter staff estimated she was about a year old before she was eventually adopted into a home. Now, 12 years later, Lola was back again.
Caitie’s Foster Fam Rescue stepped in after hearing Lola’s story, giving her a chance for a new, forever home during her golden years. The rescue shared in a May 23 Instagram post under the account @caitiesfosterfamrescue that someone brought Lola into the shelter, claiming they had taken her from a previous owner and could no longer keep her due to “medical reasons.” Although she was microchipped, nobody came forward to reclaim her.
With the help of Caitie’s Foster Fam Rescue, the senior dog has since moved into a foster home in Houston, Texas, founder Caitlin Evers told Newsweek via email, where Lola is beginning to decompress after the upheaval of losing her home late in life. But Lola’s journey is far from over. Lola is heartworm positive and also has a mass on one of her paws that will require veterinary evaluation and treatment. Evers said she will be available for adoption soon.
Emotional Toll of Returning to a Shelter
For dogs like Lola, returning to a shelter environment after years in a home can be especially stressful, both behaviorally and physiologically.
Research published in Physiology & Behavior found that dogs entering shelter environments show elevated cortisol levels—a hormone associated with stress and anxiety—alongside behaviors such as panting, pacing and vocalizing during the early days of intake.
The same study found that even brief, calm human interaction, including petting and quiet presence, significantly reduced cortisol levels and stress-related behaviors, underscoring how quickly environment and social contact can influence a dog’s emotional state
Shelter medicine research also shows that stress is not experienced in a vacuum. According to the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program, length of stay is a critical welfare factor, with longer stays in kennels associated with increased risk of illness, stress and behavioral deterioration in shelter animals.
Why Senior Dogs Often Struggle in Shelters
Senior dogs like Lola are consistently among the most overlooked animals in shelters, even though many arrive house-trained and have calmer personalities. But adopters often hesitate because of the worry about veterinary costs, shortened life spans or the emotional pain of losing an older pet.
Older dogs are consistently among the hardest shelter animals to place. A study published in the journal Animals found that age was a significant predictor of how long dogs remained in shelters, with senior dogs staying an average of about seven days longer than adult dogs, while adult canines stayed roughly five days longer than juveniles.
Foster Homes Can Change Everything
Despite senior dogs often facing difficulties in getting adopted, foster homes can be especially critical for senior dogs, giving them a chance to recover outside the stress of shelter life and allowing rescuers to better assess their medical and behavioral needs.
A 2023 study published in the journal Animals analyzed data from more than 27,000 dogs across the United States and found that temporary fostering programs dramatically improved adoption outcomes. Dogs who spent one or more nights in foster care were more than 14 times more likely to be adopted compared to those remaining in shelters. The study also noted that foster care reduced stress by removing dogs from noisy, restrictive shelter environments and increasing human interaction.
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