The Oldies Club rescues & rehomes older dogs (aged over 7 years) via a network of foster homes spread across the UK, as well as working with other rescues to publicise the plight of their older dogs. Dogs come into their care from a variety of situations, often because their elderly owner has had to go into sheltered accommodation where dogs are not allowed, their owner has died & there is no-one that can take care of their beloved dog, or their owner’s circumstances have changed & the owner simply can no longer give their dog the care it needs.
Last month I was contacted by a member of the Oldies Club who’d come across my Etsy shop enquiring if they could purchase a bulk order of the little treats bags I print to sell at fundraising events for their dogs.
A few weeks, & many hours of printing later, I had their order of 200 treats pouches ready to post out to them!
The brightly coloured bags are made of 100% cotton & measure 10 x 13 cm. I have hand screened the text ‘treats’ onto one side & there is a drawstring closure to seal the bag & slip it over your wrist – Perfect for storing your dog’s favourite treats in when you are out for a walk!
The bags are available to purchase individually in both my Etsy & Folksy shops, priced £3 each (or 2 for £5). I also make custom treats pouches, personalised with your pet’s name on one side & ‘treats’ on the other in the colours of your choice. These cost an additional £3.
Adopting an older dog has lots of potential advantages: they often need less exercise, require a shorter time-frame of commitment, & generally do not need much guidance or training as compared with younger dogs . Despite this, these dogs still have so much to give, & reward their adopters with the knowledge that they have provided a noble, faithful animal with a loving home for the last few years of their life.
Older pets are the inspiration behind the above Treasury I have curated of Etsy artists’ work depicting the joy these animals can bring to our life, & us to theirs. I wish more people would choose to adopt older animals – Give me an old dog over a puppy any day!
& finally, as if to prove the point that old dogs are ‘still game’, my 9 year old greyhound, Max, after watching me carefully package up all the bags ready for posting, waited till my back was turned for a minute then chewed his way through the packing & started pulling the treats pouches out & flinging them around in the air! Naughty boy – he must have been convinced there were some actual treats in there! Luckily no harm was done & the package has now been resealed & is safely on it’s way down to the folks at Oldies Club 
