A senior dog’s fresh start under the Arizona sun

After solidifying his reputation as the masked treat bandit of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, Zorro rode off into the sunset — to Arizona alongside his new family. The 11-year-old dog struck gold when he met Roseanna Weaver, who came to the Sanctuary interested in adopting an older dog.

Zorro is a pet who could have easily been at risk of being killed in a shelter, especially if that shelter were already full and struggling to save younger, healthy dogs and cats. Best Friends’ goal is for all shelters to reach no-kill, and that means working together with other animal welfare organizations to save pets’ lives, giving each one what they need to move out of the shelter and into a happy new life.

In Zorro’s case, he needed some help learning how to channel his desire to herd everything in sight and maybe a course on how to ask for treats like a gentleman — and that’s just what he got.

Before his Arizona life full of snuggles, pool time, and long walks along the golf course, Zorro spent his days hiking along the trails around the Sanctuary with volunteers, romping in the creek, and planning ways to swindle snacks from his caregivers. “He knew he could convince anyone to give him a treat. He’d bark and look back at me, waiting for me to hand him a cookie,” says Best Friends caregiver Sam Wetherbee. He would be anyone’s friend when cookies were involved.

Though friendly as can be with people, Zorro didn’t always see eye to eye with his four-legged friends. “Zorro is a cattle dog at heart. He wants to control things that move,” Sam says.

[Senior pup finds her smile again]

The other dogs didn’t always appreciate Zorro zooming around and trying to herd them during playgroups. So Sam and the other caregivers came up with the idea to teach Zorro a game where he could use those herding instincts — just not on other dogs. A ball and some handy training cues — and, of course, a few cookies — were all he needed to channel those instincts into a productive and fun game as though he were herding livestock.

Being a connoisseur of cookies, Zorro was eager to learn because every round of his new game meant cookies were in his future. Having an outlet for his instincts and being rewarded with his favorite cookies allowed Zorro’s smarts to shine rather than his frustrations, a perfect example of how patience and creativity can help every dog reach their full potential.

Down in the Arizona desert, Roseanna had recently lost her dog — her constant companion for 13 years, her shadow. Roseanna wasn’t sure she was ready for another dog quite yet, but she knew a senior dog would be in her future. “We tend to go for adult dogs. Young dogs are like babies,” she says. Being retired, Roseanna and her husband were looking for a dog who already had some training and skills to navigate life in a home.

Roseanna began volunteering at her local shelter and subscribed to a newsletter that featured adoptable dogs in the area. Destiny must have been fiddling with the strands of fate because as soon as Zorro’s face, featured in that very newsletter, showed up in Roseanna’s email, she felt some sort of pull. She still wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to adopt just yet, but she and her husband made the trek to the Sanctuary all the same.

As soon as Zorro entered the room at the Sanctuary where Roseanna was waiting, he ignored everyone else and walked straight up to her. Roseanna looked at her husband, and she said their decision was made. Zorro flopped over and offered his belly for some love.

Zorro endeared himself even further to Roseanna with how lively and playful he is, especially for being nearly 12 years old. Roseanna said “there was no doubt” in her mind after meeting Zorro: He was coming home to Arizona.

Roseanna was fully prepared for there to be an adjustment period, but Zorro settled right in — even being a perfect gentleman soon after he was home when they threw a party for their granddaughter.

Roseanna recognized Zorro’s innate desire to herd, and she continues playing the game his caregivers introduced to him at the Sanctuary. Together, they’ve even turned that energy into a new passion: canine agility.

[Faces of No-Kill: Storybook ending for a senior dog]

“We are so proud to give him a good life,” Roseanna says. “If there’s an opportunity to adopt a senior (pet), take it. They can certainly learn new tricks.”

Now, with a devoted family by his side and the Arizona sun warming his salt-and-pepper coat, Zorro is finally living the life he always deserved. His days are filled with love, play, and the quiet comfort of belonging.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.