Adopting a senior dog: the first month

A puppy's file is short and a senior's is long, but the senior's often has gaps. VCA's senior-care guidance says a dog is generally considered senior once it reaches about 75 percent of its average lifespan, which can mean 5 or 6 years for a giant breed and 10 to 12 for a small one, and it lists osteoarthritis, dental disease, kidney disease and cognitive dysfunction among the common problems of age. Any of them may be in the dog you bring home, diagnosed or not.

So the first job is the paperwork. Ask the shelter or the previous owner for vaccine records, the rabies certificate, any medications and doses, known conditions, the current diet and the date of the last vet visit. In Gloucester the dog license needs a current rabies certificate and comes from the City Clerk at 9 Dale Ave; Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea license dogs through their own town offices. If you adopted locally, Cape Ann Animal Aid's resources page is a useful starting point.

A senior that has just changed homes has lost its routine, its people and its familiar smells in one go, and the kindest first fortnight is predictable and small. One room with the bed, water and a non-slip path to the door is enough territory. Visitors can wait. Walks are short, frequent and on grass, and the dog decides when to explore more of the house. Write down what you see each day; it becomes the vet's baseline and, later, ours.

Handle gently while you learn the body. An older dog may have sore hips, a painful mouth or ears it does not want touched, and osteoarthritis and dental disease, both common with age, are painful. Lift it as little as possible, let it choose where to be stroked, and note any flinch or yelp for the vet rather than pushing through it.

Grooming is usually the first Dogtown visit for an adopted senior, because it needs no evaluation and an older coat often arrives neglected. A bath runs from $55 by size, nail clipping is $16, and a dog that needs slower, more careful handling carries a $20 handling surcharge for the extra time and hands. Mats come out at $15 per 20 minutes. Tell us about sore joints, hearing and sight when you book, so the groomer paces the visit.

Daycare comes later, and only if the dog wants company. After the free evaluation, most seniors do best on half days at $33, dropped off between 6:30 and 9:30 AM and collected at 12 to 1 PM, in a calm group of 7 to 10 matched by temperament; a half-day 10-pack is $290. Our senior dog daycare page explains the day. What does not fit: a dog with an undiagnosed limp, or one that avoids other dogs. For that dog a 20-minute solo walk from home at $25 is the better outing, where we cover your address.