Retiree adopts senior dogs to give them love in their twilight years
After his dog Wolfgang died from being hit by a car in 2012, Steve Greig said he was "devastated" and wanted "something good to come out of it."
Speaking to "Good Morning America," the retired accountant from Denver shared that he decided to start adopting senior dogs.
"So I decided I would go to the shelter and adopt the oldest dog they had that wouldn't probably otherwise find a home," he explained.
Giving the veteran canines another chance at life helped Greig heal from the loss of Wolfgang, he said.
More than a decade later, Greig is now an owner of 11 dogs, all of whom are in their twilight years.
Greig also regularly shares updates of his dogs on an Instagram page which has amassed over a million followers.
"It's just been an amazing experience. I did it originally, because I was in pain from a dog that had passed away," he shared. "So I did it to kind of relieve that pain and to give the dog that had passed away to give his life and you know, a meaning. But it's just taken on a whole new life of its own."
"Now, it's just so rewarding. And each dog that I adopt, it brings a whole different experience with it and different sets of rewards and, and it just, you know, adds another color to my life," he added.
To anyone who is thinking about adopting a senior pet, Greig encourages them "to try it."
"There's got so many pluses," he said. "I completely understand the appeal of a puppy and a younger dog as well. But you know, they take a lot of time and energy and effort and a senior dog, by the time they're seniors. And I think this is true of people too. By the time you get to a certain age, you're the best version of yourself."
"And I think that's true with senior dogs. By the time they get to a certain age. They're the best version of themselves. And so you get the best part of it," he said.
