Success stories
Here you can read the beautiful stories of senior dogs who have found a warm home through Project Senior.
Saved dogs
Ronja
Ronja was probably abandoned on the street. Fortunately, she was able to come to the Netherlands via the Portuguese shelter. Because living on the street is hard for an old dog, but the shelter is also not a nice place for a dog who needs rest and comfort. Now she lives with a forever foster family that has welcomed her with open arms. Now Ronja receives all the love and attention she could ever wish for.
Xula
In 2022, Xula ended up in a shelter in Portugal along with her three adult sons. Little is known about her life before that, but one thing became immediately clear: Xula is a gentle, calm dog who enjoys attention and closeness. She walks neatly on the leash, likes to make contact, and enjoys being cuddled. The type of dog that has no big wishes, but simply longs for a warm, safe place — a place she has now fortunately found with her forever foster family in the Netherlands.
Tonio
Tonio ended up in the shelter in Portugal, but nothing is known about his past. Still, he immediately showed what a sweet dog he is: friendly, calm, and loves cuddles. The kind of dog that just wants a little attention and just wants to be next to his favorite person. Fortunately, he has now found that in the Netherlands with his forever foster home!
Samen maken ze iedere dag wandelingetjes en Tonio geniet er keihard van!
Rosie
Rosie was found wandering on the streets of Portugal, emaciated. Her sagging belly showed that she had given birth to many puppies. Apparently, she was no longer useful to the breeder at her old age, and he had abandoned her on the street. Fortunately, someone took notice of her situation and brought her to the shelter. It quickly became clear that although she was a little afraid of people, she was above all very sweet. She was welcomed at the foundation's 'headquarters,' where she, along with seniors Pepe and Quica, could enjoy a well-deserved retirement. Unfortunately, it lasted far too short for this sweet treasure. After a few months, she very unexpectedly passed away peacefully in her sleep.
Curly
Curly's story began like many other stories of dogs in the shelter: found on the street, transferred to a municipal storage, and eventually lucky enough to end up in the Portuguese shelter. Where he waited for four years for a chance. He got that chance when someone in the Netherlands fell head over heels in love with him. In this way, his life still turned out for the better.
Unfortunately, after a few months, Curly developed dementia. And despite medication, he really was no longer happy. After about 5 months, his family had to say goodbye to him, knowing that they had given Curly all the love he could have wished for in the last part of his life.
Piçuras
Piçuras lived his whole life in a house but was neglected by his sick owner and eventually brought to the shelter. He was very thin and had severe dental problems, which caused him pain and made it difficult for him to eat. Fortunately, he was treated by the veterinarian, had his teeth cared for, and began eating well again and gaining weight. His kidneys were found to be very damaged due to old age, but fortunately, in the Netherlands he received the proper dietary food for them, which greatly improved his overall condition.
Piçuras lived with his forever host family for about half a year. Every day he thoroughly enjoyed the little forest walks with his favorite human and the other dogs in the family. But then it turned out he was really at the end of his life, and his host family made the difficult decision to let him go. They are grateful that they were able to pamper him for half a year and they will never forget him…
Nero
Nero had a good dog life in Portugal, until his owner passed away and no one took care of him. He ended up in the shelter, where he waited for a second chance for a happy home. Luckily, that second chance came, and now Nero lives with an older man who really needed his company. They are very happy together.
Eloy
Eloy was found wandering on the streets in Portugal, with a chip but without an owner who still wanted him. Because the shelter was full, he had to survive outside for a long time, until he finally found a place in the Portuguese shelter. There he showed what a sweet and friendly dog he is: social with people and dogs. In 2025 Eloy was adopted bij a loving family as a compagnon for 2 other dogs. Eloy is living his best life with them, enjoying every day!
Eloy had geluk, in 2025 werd hij geadopteerd door een familie die al twee honden had. Daar geniet hij nu iedere dag van een warme mand, een aai over zijn bol en fijne wandelingen samen met z’n 2 honden-vriendinnen.
Birger
Birger lived for many years with a hoarder along with seven other dogs and was severely neglected there. When they were rescued and ended up in the shelter, they were scared and malnourished. Birger needed the most time to trust people again, but little by little he dared to wag his tail, ask for cuddles, and even walk on a leash. Birgir was lucky to be adopted in 2025 by a family who had adopted seniors before. Although the beginning was though for Birger, he is slowly starting to relax and enjoy his new home.
Birgir had geluk en werd in 2025 geadopteerd door een familie die al eerder een oudere hond hadden geadopteerd. Hoewel het weer heel erg wennen was voor hem, wende hij langzaam maar zeker aan zijn nieuwe familie. Birger heeft een lief hondenvriendje om zich aan op te trekken en om mee te spelen. We hopen dat Birger nog veel stapjes vooruit zal maken en zich steeds een beetje vrijer zal gaan voelen.
Geni
Geni ended up in the shelter years ago, after she, along with many other dogs, was taken away from a neglectful situation. She was never properly socialized with people and is therefore not really suitable for adoption. But the family where Fibi and Picolo also live can fortunately handle that well. She happily scurries around among the other older dogs. And you guessed it... she quickly got used to the people in the house too. Just goes to show what a calm, loving environment can do for a dog.
Stevie
What bad luck Stevie has had in his life. In 2017 he was found. Tied to a post in the blazing sun. Since then he was in the shelter and everyone just walked past him. Nobody wants a black dog, almost nobody wants a big dog, and by now he's also old. Luckily, we found someone in the Netherlands who was willing to welcome him with open arms. Stevie got a comfy bed, tasty treats, daily walks, and endless love. Stevie really enjoyed the last part of his life.
Duncan
Duncan was found on the street, and since his microchip wasn’t registered, his owner could never be found. Duncan was a laid-back guy who loved going for walks, but also enjoyed chilling in a comfy little bed. He was lucky enough to be adopted by really loving people who would do anything for him. Soon after arriving, it turned out he had a rare form of cancer in his knee. Luckily, he responded well to the medication and was able to enjoy life for a little while longer. And enjoy it he did, every day with a big, big smile on his face! Sadly, after a few months the medication stopped working, and his family had to make the tough decision to let him go. We and his family are grateful that Duncan got to experience these wonderful months.
Picolo
Picolo came from the same 'hoarder' as Fibi and was lucky enough to be able to travel to the same Dutch family. He was one of the shyest of the group that had been taken in and he wasn't really happy in the shelter. With his new family, he quickly warmed up. He was perfectly at home with this loving family with several older dogs. Where he never wagged his tail in Portugal, in the Netherlands he wagged it almost all the time! Picolo really enjoyed his time in the Netherlands, but unfortunately his kidneys failed, and Picolo quietly passed away in the presence of his foster family.
Mazou
Little 13-year-old Mazou has finally found someone who loves him a lot! Although small dogs are often adopted, Mazou was always overlooked. That's because he doesn't really like strangers and doesn't want to be picked up either. He just needs some time to get used to someone and doesn't want to be touched all the time. No problem, his adopter respects that and is over the moon with Mazou.
Puma
Puma was given as a puppy by a daughter to her father so that he would feel less lonely. 12 years later, unfortunately, her father could no longer live independently and therefore could no longer take care of Puma either. The daughter took her father to a nursing home and Puma to the shelter.
Fortunately, Puma was able to come to the Netherlands. He had little trouble getting used to his new home. Puma enjoys daily walks in nature and his naps on the couch and in his soft bed.
Fibi
Fibi lived with a pack of dogs with someone who couldn't take good care of the animals. That's why she ended up in a Portuguese shelter.
She is very shy, but after a few months in the shelter, she got to the point where she let herself be petted and even being on someone’s lap wasn't so scary anymore.
She now lives in the Netherlands with people who have a lot of experience, a large fenced garden, and many doggy friends. Fibi warmed up immediately and is fully enjoying the care and attention. She will certainly continue to blossom over time.
Sasha
Sasha was found on the street by someone who found her a new home. She then got a microchip and was registered in her name, but a few years later she was found on the street again. The owners were nowhere to be found. They probably moved and left Sasha on the street. Unfortunately, that happens quite often in Portugal. In November 2019, she was taken to the shelter and only in September 2024 did she come to the Netherlands, where she could really enjoy the years she has left.
She was allowed to go live with a very sweet forever host family who pampered her from day one. A comfy bed, unlimited snacks, nice walks, and endless cuddles. Sasha really got to enjoy herself. After about a year, her body was really worn out, and she peacefully passed away surrounded by her loving family.
Luna
When Luna was 10 years old, she was brought to the shelter with her 2 newborn babies and more puppies from the same house. We think some of these puppies are also her children.
After some necessary 'overdue maintenance' (pulling teeth, removing mammary tumors), Luna is enjoying her second youth with a sweet lady.
Kiwi
We'll never really know Kiwi's background. He was found in terrible condition on the street, probably dumped by whoever had neglected him before. With a lot of medical care, his condition improved and he was allowed to travel to the Netherlands. Unfortunately, it quickly became clear that he was too demented to settle in. The Portuguese foster family unfortunately hadn't recognized the first signs. Otherwise, we wouldn't have let him come. For dogs with dementia, big changes can often be very unsettling.
Diva
Diva was brought to the Portuguese shelter because her owner didn’t want her anymore due to her age.
Once in the Netherlands, she developed separation anxiety very quickly. Luckily, she now lives with people for whom that's not a problem at all, because their other dog (Bernardo from Project Senior) also has separation anxiety. Thanks to how these lovely people have adjusted their lives, both dogs never have to be alone.
Pepe
Pepe was taken to the shelter by his owner/breeder. Even though the breeder made a lot of money selling the Labrador puppies, Pepe was treated badly. Since he was getting too old to breed anymore, poor Pepe was brought to the shelter along with senior female dogs (who luckily have been adopted!). To top it off, the breeder came along with his little daughter; what an unbelievably bad example!
Pepe was allowed to come and live at the ‘headquarters’ of Perro&Co, with a big garden and a bunch of other dogs. Pepe immediately felt at home and lived his best Labrador life: playing with his beloved toys, jumping into every puddle he came across, rolling around in the grass, and of course, enjoying good meals!! Despite various health problems, Pepe never lost his joy for life and enjoyed his life in the Netherlands to the fullest until the very end!
Pepsi
After spending a few months at the municipal shelter, Pepsi was (fortunately) taken to the animal shelter. There she received better care and more attention. Her vaccination booklet shows that she had a previous owner. She lived in a house with 5 other dogs who were brought to the shelter at the same time as Pepsi. Unfortunately, we don't know anything else about her past.
Pepsi now lives in the Netherlands in a house with a huge garden and doggy friends. There she can really relax from all her adventures and enjoy her new life.
fOXY
This little, sweet old man didn't know what was happening to him: Overnight, he ended up in the shelter. His owner suddenly passed away, and no one in the family took responsibility for Foxy.
Fortunately, he was able to come to the Netherlands fairly quickly and has been adopted by lovely people who aren't all that young themselves.
Momo
Momo was found on the street in Portugal when he was thirteen years old. It turned out he was microchipped and the owners could be tracked down, but they didn’t want him anymore. Literally put out on the street. What bad luck for a little dog. But in the end, life smiled on him again. He got to travel to someone in the Netherlands who took him everywhere and whose bed was their shared little nest.
Kiki
14-year-old Kiki was taken to the shelter when her owner had to go into a nursing home. Her teeth were in terrible condition and she had lost a lot of weight. That's why we immediately had her brought to a temporary foster home in the Netherlands. With the help of many donors and MARK veterinary, nearly all of her teeth were extracted. Luckily, she handled the major surgery well and recovered nicely. After that, she was adopted by people who absolutely adore her. Kiki passed away surrounded by love after a wonderful second youth.
Bernardo
Bernardo came to the shelter in April 2023 and was then estimated to be 13 years old.
He was living on the street near an abandoned house where junkies hung out. Because no one was really taking care of him, the municipality took him from there and brought him to the shelter. Nothing else is known about his past, but it's likely that he used to have a home.
After he seemed hopeless in the asylum for a long time, luckily a nice home became available for him in the Netherlands. Now he can spend his old age there well taken care of.
Lolita
Lolita was taken to the shelter in Portugal at the age of thirteen because her owner had passed away. Poor Lolita, she didn't understand any of it at all.
Fortunately, someone in the Netherlands decided to become her forever foster family, and the donors of Project Senior made this possible. As an old and also black little dog, she wouldn’t have had any chance of being adopted in Portugal. Today she is living her best life with her BFF Boef, another little old dog. They adore each other!
Quica
Quica was found in Portugal in a nature reserve, lying under a tree. She was very emaciated, had a bad coat, and was blind. She couldn’t have gotten there on her own, because she was so weak that she couldn’t walk properly anymore. Someone had dumped her there to die. Luckily, she was found and taken to the shelter. There, someone actually showed up fairly quickly wanting to adopt her. When they eventually didn’t get back to us after many excuses, we decided that Quica could come to the Netherlands.
She came to live at the ‘headquarters’ of Stichting Perro&Co and received all the care she needed. Special food because of her food allergy, hypoallergenic chew treats, and she was regularly washed with special shampoo. Her itching went away and her coat grew back! Even though Quica was blind, she could find her way around the property just fine. She enjoyed her life to the fullest for over 2 more years, but then her body was really worn out, and she was peacefully put to sleep.
Bellini
Bellini was brought to the shelter at the age of 12 when his owner passed away and no one in the family wanted to take care of him. Luckily, Bellini didn’t have to stay long at the shelter in his old age, because he now has a forever foster home! The foster family was really looking forward to his arrival, with his soft, warm, (orthopedic) bed already ready for him! Thanks to the sponsors of Project Senior, his living expenses and medical costs are covered. By now, Bellini has been living in the Netherlands for quite a while and is enjoying life to the fullest: often going to the forest for a nice walk, always coming along on vacation, and receiving endless love every day. Bellini is having a wonderful old age thanks to his forever foster family and the supporters of Project Senior. Bellini is supported by van den Hoorn Real Estate (Utrecht).
Inmiddels woont Bellini al weer een hele tijd bij zijn gastgezin-voor-altijd. Hij heeft het er heerlijk: vaak naar het bos voor een wandeling, altijd mee op vakantie en dagelijks oneindig veel liefde! Dankzij zijn gastgezin-voor-altijd en de supporters van Project Senior heeft Bellini een heerlijke oude dag.
Bellini wordt gesupport door: van den Hoorn makelaardij uit Utrecht
Flip
Old Fips (now Flip) had come in so neglected that the volunteers didn't think he would last long, and certainly not that anyone would want him. Matted coat, way too skinny, a really bad set of teeth, a urinary infection, and even a heart murmur.
Once in the Netherlands, he first had to regain strength. Thanks to the excellent care from the host family, six weeks later he weighed 6.7kg instead of 5kg and was strong enough to handle the surgeries.
Almost all of his molars and teeth have been removed, cysts from his prostate have been taken out, he has been neutered (to prevent the cysts from coming back), and his bladder stones and infection have been treated. For the rest of his life, he has been on a bladder stone diet and given pain relief because of his arthritis.
Flip has become enormously lively because of it! Even though he had dementia and slept a lot, he played a lot and loved going for walks. He also liked to sit on laps all day and enjoyed sleeping in bed. He really enjoyed all of that to the fullest!
Joy
Elly (now Joy) was brought to the shelter for an unknown reason, as unfortunately happens so often. After a while, she was lucky enough to be adopted by a young couple. But the happiness was short-lived. The couple made other plans that didn’t work well with having a dog, and they brought Elly back to the shelter. Apparently, they also didn’t protect her properly against parasites, because she turned out to be infected with leishmania. Elly deserves so much better. She’s the sweetest, gentlest dog you can imagine. Luckily, we found a wonderful spot for her in the Netherlands. Most of the costs for transport, vaccinations, and leishmania treatment were covered thanks to donors of Project Senior.
Benji
Benji was brought to the shelter after living with his owners for 9 years (since he was a puppy). His owners were getting divorced, and neither of them wanted to take care of Benji. So there he was, an old, hopeless dog in a shelter with 600 other dogs. Luckily, Benji was adopted and can spend the rest of his life with his new family. Thanks to the sponsors of Project Senior, Benji got all his vaccinations, and the costs for transport to the Netherlands were covered. This way, Benji still gets to have a really nice life!
Diana
Diana came to the shelter together with Maggie because her owner had become too old to take care of them. Diana first had to be treated for heartworm, and after that, she was allowed to join Maggie. Diana got to stay with her foster family forever for the rest of her life. She had surgery for mammary tumors, and her chronically inflamed uterus was removed. This allowed her to enjoy several more years. She received Onsior daily for the pain in her worn-out joints and a low dose of Clomicalm for separation anxiety. As we often see, Diana really perked up. After a few months in her foster family, she seemed years younger! She had a wonderful time and made the most out of her second life!
Luna
Luna was taken to the shelter because her owner had to be hospitalized. It turned out he had been suffering from Alzheimer's for a while and could no longer take care of her. She was skinny, had ticks, and her coat was dirty. Due to abuse, Luna had an old broken bone in her upper jaw, which made her nose crooked and created an open connection between her palate and nasal cavity. This caused a lot of discomfort and inflammation, so she had surgery for it. MARK veterinarian was able to close her palate (at cost price), allowing her to breathe, eat, and drink properly again. She also had surgery for mammary gland tumors and was spayed. During this surgery, it was discovered she had an open abdominal wall, and all her organs were stuck together and out of place in her belly. The likely cause was several poorly done C-sections in the past. The poor dog must have been in so much pain. In her foster home, she was able to enjoy a pain-free and comfortable life for another two years.
Dalila
‘Dalila was brought to the shelter together with Java because their owner needed to be hospitalized. These sweet dogs were not used to the harsh shelter life and could not adjust at all. It was not possible to find someone who wanted to adopt both of them, and because the dogs were very attached to each other, we decided that they could stay in foster care together.’
Dalila had all sorts of lumps, both on the outside and most likely on the inside too. On top of that, she had heartworm and bladder stones and, of course, arthritis. She didn’t see very well anymore and could barely hear anything. She didn’t seem to be bothered by it at all. She got painkillers and medication for nausea every day. Treating the heartworm was too risky because of her age. So she got milpro every month to at least prevent the heartworms from multiplying. Naturally, she also got special food because of her bladder stones.
Dalila was the sweetest little dog we ever knew. She liked everyone and was nice to all the dogs. When we had puppies in foster care, they always loved grandma Dalila and were allowed to sleep in her bed.
Java
Java came to the Netherlands together with Dalila. Unfortunately, Java passed away after only six weeks. She cared for Dalila until the very last moment like a true guardian. In the dark, she guided Dalila around obstacles and licked her clean every day. As if Dalila knew before us that Java would not make it, Dalila took care of Java on the last day. Until the very last moment, they were nose to nose together.
Unfortunately, it only lasted a short time, but Java really enjoyed her last weeks in her host family in the countryside. Java was not at all interested in people, but she gained so much from living in a pack. Together with the other dogs, she guarded the yard and enjoyed the freedom. At night she would relax nicely by the fireplace.
Poeki
Poekie was the first dog of Project Senior. In fact, Project Senior was founded because of him. At 11 years old, he was still physically quite fit, but it was not possible to find a suitable adopter for him. He had spent ten years in the shelter, and we think that left its marks. Whether it was due to dementia or because the long confinement had affected his brain, Poekie was not entirely normal. He did not cope well with changes and did not understand much. When he didn’t understand something, he became scared. That is why we decided that it was better for him to stay in the shelter where he was. There, he still had another year and a half of a wonderfully manageable life.
