XOXO Dogs (2024)

12/04/2024

The Senior Dog Squad presents…

5 reasons to adopt a senior dog! 💚

26/03/2024

Sometimes, all dogs need is love. 💚

Toothless came to me so shut down and he had the saddest little eyes. He wouldn’t let me touch him and would shake when he was held. Fast forward 6 months later, he is a completely different dog! Toothless loves being held, cuddled, and getting little head scratches. He begs for treats, pets, and toys. He plays with my other dogs, and overall just looks so much happier.

This is WHY I want to start my own rescue. I want to change the lives of senior dogs and give them the happiest endings possible.

I love you, Toofy Boy. 🧡🐾

19/03/2024

Snowball passed peacefully in my arms on the afternoon of March 7, 2024. As much as I miss her, I am confident that I gave her a beautiful last 9 months filled with so much love. 🩷

Snowball was the dog who started my old and crusty dog obsession, and it will forever live on because of her. Losing dogs is hard, but it will never be as hard as seeing them die alone in an overcrowded shelter. I am so grateful that I was able to foster and eventually adopt her and change her fate. I know when I start my own rescue, I will be able to save so many more dogs just like Snowbie, and I’ll remember her every single time. 🐾

I love you, Snow. Until we meet again. 🌈❄️

22/02/2024

💚 Introducing The Senior Dog Squad 💚

Snowball 🩷

Snowball was surrendered as a euthanasia request at 18 years old at Houston Humane Society a week before I started working there. She was a pretty spicy girl and the clinic was having a hard time working her up, but she seemed fairly healthy despite what her former owner said, so the clinic director stepped in to save her from euthanasia.

On the day that I started working at the Houston Humane Society as their rescue coordinator, I remember scrolling through PetPoint and seeing her picture. I almost cried, as she looked identical to a dog I had growing up that had just passed a year earlier.

A couple days went by and I decided to foster her. The night I brought her home, she was so quiet and calm. I honestly think she was so grateful to be out of the shelter. I startede bringing her to work with me everyday, and she was the best co-worker ever! She was such a chill girl and just laid on her bed with her stuffed lambie. Little did I know, she actually wasn't feeling well...

The next week, Snowball started having horrible coughing fits. She had mucus coming out of her nose and would sneeze constantly. The coughing became so persistant that she would fall over during her coughing fits and she started getting weak. I got really concerned, and after a couple failed diagnosis, I took her to my personal vet. They determined she had a collapsing trachea and gave me some medication that would help her cough and runny nose.

The next day, Snowball was a totally different dog! She was a little spicier, but she was also so energetic and fun. It was like night and day! I finalized her adoption on June 29th, almost a month after becoming her foster.

Today, Snowball is still as spicy as ever! Her cough still makes an appearence occasionally, but for the most part, it is gone. Snowball is very attached to me and loves to snuggle, loves ear scratches and chin scratches, and she loves car rides!

My relationship that I have with Snowball is actually where my "advocating for senior dogs" came in. I have always felt horrible seeing senior dogs in shelters, but I have now made it my mission to netowrk to get them out and will one day have a non-profit that has a sole-purpose of placing senior dogs in their forever homes. It all started with her, and I couldn't be more grateful to have found her when I did.

19/02/2024

💚 Introducing The Senior Dog Squad 💚

Toothless 🧡

Toothless was rescued on October 3rd, 2023 from a hoarding case of over 40 dogs by the Houston Humane Society. He was found outside of a broken down trailor amongst f***s and trash. He was so feral, he had to be caught with a net.

Once he was at the shelter, he was in a kennel and would constantly growl and bark and tried to bite anyone who tried to handle him. Two days went by, and I decided I wanted to try to foster him. My co-worker and I used a towel and picked him up, and once he was in my hands, he gave up fighting and kind of froze. It was obvious that he had never been handled by humans before, and he didn't want to bite us or hurt us out of aggression, he was just afraid. We found that he was covered in fleas and had no teeth, so I named him Toothless after the dragon in "How to Train Your Dragon." After he was worked up, it was determined that he was high heartworm positive, so I was given 30 days of Doxy to start his treatment.

I kept him in my office that day, and he did gum me a little when I'd try to pick him up. He also had no experience walking on a leash; he tried to alligator roll and back out of the lead I had him in. I took him home that night, and the next morning, he was a completely different dog. He was pawing at my legs to be held and he wasn't trying to gum me anymore. It was like his heart softened over the last 24 hours and he realized he actually really liked to be pet and loved on by me.

From the moment I saw him, I wanted to adopt him. And the fact that he was feral before and instantly softend with me and chose me to trust made the decision so easy. I finalized his adoption on October 23rd, 2023.

Toothless is still continuing slow-kill heartworm treatment today. He is one of the sweetest little dogs I've ever had, even though he may only let his guard down for me. Toothless has fallen in love with my other dog, Sunshine, and he loves to play with her and snuggle by her. I also got his DNA results back and he is a pure-bred chihuahua! I have never been a chihuahua person before this, but he has made me have a soft spot for them.

Toothless' story really shows just how important rescuing animals is and how it can change their lives forever. It also brings awareness to animal cruelty, and the more we know about it, the faster we can bring it to an end!

📸: AnandaJoy Photography

17/02/2024

💚 Introducing The Senior Dog Squad 💚

Sunshine 💜

Sunshine arrived to the Houston Humane Society on August 24th, 2023 as a transfer from another shelter. She was a part of a cruelty case. Although I am not sure what she went through prior to arriving at our shelter, I do know she looked to have been living in a small cage, as she was covered in her own urine and f***s when she arrived.

I remember the day she arrived, my co-worker came into my office and said "Maddie, I saw a dog that made me think of you." At work, I am known for loving all things crusty and old, so I was instantly intrigued and wanted to see the dog. She took me to the back of our intake building where I saw Sunshine, barking and jumping around her kennel. She was estimated to be 8 years old. Poor thing looked to be in pretty rough shape. As I said before, she was covered in urine and f***s, and she just looked like she had been neglected for her entire life. Despite all that she had previously been through, I remember her instantly making me smile because she just looked so happy to be there. Sunshine also had multiple mammary tumors and would end up needing surgey to get them removed.

The next day, she had been worked up and was placed on the adoption floor. When I passed her kennel, I remember thinking to myself that I really wanted to adopt her. I went into her kennel and interacted with her more, then I introduced her to my other senior dogs (it was only Snowball and Porter at the time). They had an instant connection, so I ended up adopting her on the 26th for our Clear the Shelters Event.

The first thing I did after brining Sunny home was give her a bath. She was so good for it; it probably felt so good to finally be nice and clean! I also requested a shave down when she had her surgery to remove the masses because her hair was horribly matted. She got them removed and was spayed and shaved down during her surgery. They ended up being benign and I was super excited about that!

Today, Sunshine is the silliest little goose! She is always happy and loves to express that by barking, smiling, and playing with her brother, Toothless. Anyone who is around her knows how contagious her happiness is! Sunny is always just so happy to be wherever she is, whether we are on a walk, chilling at home, or going outside to potty. I also recently got her DNA results back, and she is a purebred maltese.

Sunshine is proof that you can't buy love, but you can definitely rescue it! And not only that, she is also proof that you can find purebreds in shelters, too. Sunny says "adopt, don't shop!"

📸: AnandaJoy Photography

15/02/2024

💚 Introducing The Senior Dog Squad 💚

Porter 💙

Porter was adopted from the Houston Humane Society in September of 2012, but unfortunately he was returned as a senior dog in July of 2023. His previous owners told HHS he was now blind and had diabetes. Our shelter’s clinic did not have insulin in stock, so soon after arriving, Porter became urgent and desperately needed to be transferred out into a reputable rescue group. This is where I come in!

As the rescue coordinator for that shelter, I reached out to 200+ rescues, and no one wanted to tag him due to how costly insulin is and how hard diabetic dogs are to adopt out.

After two weeks of not being able to find rescue placement, I decided to take him home as a foster. Poor guy was so depressed that he wasn’t eating, which made his blood sugar completely bottom out.

I remember the day I decided to bring him home, he had a diabetic seizure and had to be on fluids. He was peeing uncontrollably and always thirsty. He was really shut down and I think he was confused. He didn’t know where his family went, and why he was back at the shelter at 12 years old.

A few nights went by and I just knew. I knew that Porter was meant to be a part of my pack. He finally started playing with toys, eating twice a day, and had so much life! His eyes started to light up again, like he just suddenly remembered how to be a dog again.

Fast forward to today, Porter is one of the most loyal, sweet dogs I’ve ever had. He is a velcro dog and because he’s blind, he likes to be able to feel me next to him at all times, as that brings him comfort. His diabetes was very mismanaged by his previous owner, but in the 7 months that I’ve had him, our vet has put him on a prescription diet and his glucose levels have improved so much. He is a completely different dog! He is proof that fostering (well, and adopting 😂) saves lives!

24/01/2024

AnandaJoy Photography

Stay tuned for the results of this fun shoot! 💙🐾

17/01/2024

Keeping my seniors and Tills warm and cozy during the freeze! 🥶 Sunshine is the only one that seems to somewhat enjoy the cooler weather. 😂🐾

15/01/2024

I just wanted to share how grateful I am that Toothless’ cruelty case was discovered and he was rescued by Houston Humane Society. He was living amongst trash in the woods surrounding a broken down trailer. I just took him outside to potty before bed, and poor thing is still shivering, even with two layers of PJ’s on! I truly don’t think he would’ve survived this cold snap had he still been living there. It’s so incredibly sad to think about but I am so happy that he is safe and warm inside. 🥹🧡 (this is not a pick of him right now - he is currently in his jammies burrowed under a blanket 😂)

13/01/2024

New merch is available! Rep the senior dog squad or wear your favorite SDS dog! 💚

Link: https://linktr.ee/theseniordogsquad

12/01/2024

Toothless is here to remind everyone to keep their pets safe and warm during the first freeze of the season! 💚

My senior dogs are always cold, so I have prepared for the freeze by purchasing some extra pairs of pajamas, blankets, and heating pads! You can see some of my favorite products by clicking on the following link:

https://www.amazon.com/shop/matildaherseniorfriends/list/2IFV1KO7GHMBC?tag=onamzmaddi0cd-20&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_mixed_m

Please keep in mind that if you are cold, your dogs are cold, too! 🐾

11/01/2024

Happy 2nd Gotcha Day to my sweet Matilda! ❤️

I love this dog so much and I can’t imagine my life without her. Tilly has taught me so much about understanding dog’s boundaries, how to be more patient with unsure dogs, and she has shown me how rewarding it is to earn a fearful dog’s trust. I can’t wait to get home and celebrate the day that I brought her home two years ago.

I love you, Tilly! 🐾

Adopted 1/11/2022 from Friends of Faye. 🫶

08/01/2024

Hi, welcome to The Senior Dog Squad’s official page! I’m so glad you’re here. I wanted to start out by introducing myself and the four senior dogs who started it all: Snowball, Porter, Sunshine, and Toothless!

My name is Maddie Cantrell and I am the owner of The Senior Dog Squad. My love for animals started from a very young age; I used to volunteer at a local shelter with my grandma as an 11-year-old. After adopting my first dog from that shelter, I knew in my heart that I wanted to have my own rescue organization. Over the years, I have had many different types of jobs and expanded my skill set, but nothing really stuck. I would start out full force and giving each position everything I had, but I would always get to a point where each day felt so perpetual and I would lose my drive. It wasn’t until I was unexpectedly laid off in the fall of 2021 that I would find an incredible job that led me back to my roots; animal welfare! Little did I know, I would eventually land a position at a non-profit shelter in Houston, TX as a rescue coordinator. Soon after starting my new position, I adopted an 18-year-old maltipoo who was a doppelgänger of the dog I had adopted as a kid. She was surrendered as a euthanasia request, but our vet saved her life. Two months later, I began fospicing (hospice fostering) an 11-year-old diabetic retriever who was adopted as a puppy and returned to the shelter 10 years later. A month after that, another senior dog made her way into my heart. She was an itty bitty girl, who I call Sunshine, with mammary tumors who was unexpectedly transferred from another Houston shelter. Two months went by, and the shelter rescued over 40 chihuahuas from a giant hoarding case. I grew very fond of one of the oldest, spiciest chis and ended up making him a permanent part of my pack. Seeing a pattern? Well, so was I! Slowly but surely, I realized that I had found my passion all over again and re-discovered a dream that never really left in the first place (and that I wanted to specialize in rescuing/fostering senior dogs)! And isn’t it funny how it all started (again) with a dog that looked identical to my childhood best friend who brought about the dream the first time? Now, I have my own rescue in the works that will be dedicated to saving dogs who are at the end of their lives and deserve nothing but to be loved, cherished, and most of all… out of the shelter! Until my dream rescue has its 501c3 non-profit status and can start saving dogs, I will be using this page to share snippets of my senior dogs and my doberman’s lives and share fosters or any dogs that have touched my heart that I meet at shelters.

Thank you for taking the time to read my introduction! Please feel free to invite your friends to follow this page.

📸: AnandaJoy Photography

XOXO Dogs