A graying muzzle shows your goodest gal or bestest boi is not getting any younger. And even if it feels like you only met yesterday, time flies and there’s nothing we can do about it. Our best furry friends officially turn senior at around the age of 10, but the joy you share together never, ever gets old.

Bored Panda compiled this list full of the most adorable graying woofers who surely deserve to enjoy their carefree retirement.

From the oldest living golden retriever celebrating his 20th birthday to an 18-year-old cutie pie still sleeping with his toy as if he was a lil pup, these moments prove if there’s anything that stays young forever, it must be the heart of a dog. After you’re done, gift yourself an extra batch of cuteness overload with wholesome senior dog pics right here.

#1 Meet August, Officially The Oldest Living Golden Retriever! She Turned 20 Years Old

Image credits: Imzadi90

#2 When I Adopted 14-Year-Old Francis Last Year I Was Told We Would Only Have 4-6 Weeks Together Because Of His Arthritis And Poor Mobility. Well, We Celebrated Our One Year Anniversary Today

Love this old boy to pieces.

Image credits: zenmin75

#3 Just Cause Benji’s An Old Boy Doesn’t Mean He’s Not A Cute Boy

Image credits: mayaxs

If you’ve ever been the lucky parent to man’s best friend, you know how fast they grow. It seems like one day, your dog is still a tiny puppy, and the next, he is a fully grown woofer. Bored Panda reached out to Somya Anand, dog behavior specialist at Monkoo Dog online community aimed at building a sustainable life for pets, to find out more about just why dogs grow up so fast until their hair turns grey.

Somya said that how fast your dog grows largely depends on its breed. “It is generally observed that smaller breeds reach full growth faster than larger breeds. It also varies with mixed breeds and the growth milestones are usually closer to the dominant breed variety.”

#4 Almost 18 Years Old And Still Sleeping With The Toy Frog She’s Had For 14 Years

Image credits: COMB__THE__DESERT

#5 Our 11-Month-Old And 8-Year-Old

Image credits: bellavanlan

#6 My Dog Is 16, So I Figured It’s Time For Some Driving Lessons

Image credits: LamboSamba

Having said that, she added that “a pup has become an adult dog as it completes one year; while this may not be accurate, most breeds reach full growth in this time frame—12-18 months—and hence it has become a general rule of thumb.”

Meanwhile, in most cases, dogs are considered senior when they turn anywhere between 5 and 10 years old. As a general rule, large dogs will typically age faster than smaller dogs. Therefore, it’s not uncommon to see a senior Great Dane at age 7 or a Chihuahua in his 20s.

#7 Wynton (13-Years-Old) Braving The Cold With My Grandpa

Image credits: zoom1208

#8 Cody Is The Bestest Old Boy

Image credits: mayaxs

#9 I’m Elton And Today Is My 19th Birthday

Image credits: suppennudelchen

Somya also explained that while your dog is still a puppy, “the rapid growth spurt lasts generally till six months and then becomes more gradual. So don’t be surprised when your tiny little puppies become big overnight!”

At around 2 years of age, most middle-sized dog breeds stop growing altogether, and at the age of 7 years old, dogs exhibit the first signs of “retirement.” Many of the signs are similar to that of humans: changed sleeping and eating patterns, weight gain, lumps and bumps, and general slowdown.

For most dog owners, the real headache starts around when the dog reaches 7 to 9 years old. But there are some things to know about raising a senior dog which can help their longevity.

First, brushing your dog’s teeth regularly can prevent oral diseases that can shorten your furry friend’s life. Secondly, make sure you give your old boy enough physical activity to keep him in shape and prevent weight gain. And third, one should always provide your woofer with a healthy and nutritious diet.

#10 The Arizona Humane Society Uses Boots, A Senior Dog, To Acclimate Kittens To Dogs

Image credits: totallynotabear

#11 Good Boy Can’t Chase The Sprinklers In His Old Age, So Now Sits And Waits For It To Come To Him

Image credits: FeistyAle

#12 My 14-Year-Old Golden Retriever, Still Wanting To Play Like A Puppy

Image credits: IsaBA20

Most importantly, leaving your dog unattended for long periods of time, especially at a senior age, can lead to severe dog depression and anxiety. Even if your woofer is slower than he ever was before, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t need a stroll in the park and some goofing around!

#13 She Thinks It’s Her Job To Pull Rocks Out Of The Lake. The Big One Is 14lbs. She’s 12 Years Old

Image credits: Macaroniindisguise

#14 He’s Old, He’s Blind, And He’s Very Smelly. But He Is By Far The Bestest Boy I’ve Ever Known. Meet Brewer

Image credits: tmc_2011

#15 My 19 And A Half-Year-Old Dog Is Starting To Slow Down, We Appreciate That We’ve Had Her This Long

Image credits: Lejayeff

#16 My 16-Year-Old Pug’s First Time Visiting The Beach. He Was Born Deaf And Partially Blind From Age

Image credits: trentharp18

#17 Stout Is 16 And Wants Your Scritches

Image credits: astralairplane

#18 My 15-Year-Old Chihuahua Has Very Sensitive Eyes Due To Iris Atrophy. Here She Is In Her “Doggles”

Image credits: Amazonian_Broad

#19 Celebrating Molly’s 16th Birthday With A Walk To The Pier

Image credits: yachtclubkid

#20 I Heard You Guys Might Like Muddy, He Just Turned 14 Yesterday

Image credits: moodyfoodie99

#21 My Millie Girl Is A Beautiful 16-Years-Old. We Adopted Her When She Was 12. She Is Completely Deaf, But That Doesn’t Stop Her From Anything. 100% Good Girl

Image credits: Cosplaybaby29

#22 This Is My Old Boi Link – Or Linkers – Or Lonk If I Accidentally Hit The Wrong Key. He’s 10 And Still Very Much A Puppy. Loves Smoochin’

Image credits: linkersthedog

#23 Diesel (9) Is Turning 10 This Month, And He’s Melting From All The Excitement

Image credits: hillsa14

#24 Our 14-Year-Old Girl, Still Smiling

Image credits: StamperFurbottom

#25 My Old Boy, Still Around After 25 Years

Image credits: wolf_mans84

#26 Old Man Aegir Turns 15 Next Month. He Converted Back To Puppy Mode In This Mornings Snow

Image credits: diverpat

#27 Met This 19-Year-Old Senior The Other Day

Image credits: grrbina

#28 My Best 14-Year-Old Man Chance Stole The Show At My Wedding Last Year

Image credits: ag5

#29 Senior Dogs Deserve Extra Pampering

Image credits: averybadmix

#30 We Adopted A Senior Saint Named Mikey Yesterday And I Think It’s Safe To Say His First Trip To Grandma’s Went Well

Image credits: chewbezza

#31 Shadow (14-Years-Old) Is My Handsome Old Man. He Used To Be Completely Black With A Little Bit Of White

Image credits: Mor_tish_a

#32 My 10-Year-Old Dog Likes To Sleep On My Legs. I Made Her This Out Of Some Of My Old Jeans For Her To Sleep On While I’m At Work

Image credits: DMLorance

#33 This Is Sadie. She’s 17

Image credits: Choose_2b_Happy

#34 Today Is My Dog, Tax’s 22nd Birthday. Still Truckin’ Along

Image credits: theluciferprinciple

#35 Meet My 18-Year-Old Siberian Husky “Damon”

Image credits: Puddingpapst

#36 So, This Is Athena, She Is A 9-Year-Old Labrador. As You Can See She’s A Chunker But She Gets Jealous When She Sees Our Smaller Dogs On Our Laps And Throws A Fit

So, of course, I have succumb to her commands.

Image credits: Martinstanley12

#37 Old Girl Audrey Is 10 Today

Image credits: manda326

#38 My 13 Yr Old Shar-Pei Before And After I Tell Him He’s A Good Boy

Image credits: The_Anticarnist

#39 My Wife And I Adopted 2 Senior Dogs. Meet Oscar And Maggie

Image credits: sjcook1

#40 Old Man Bruno, 12 Ish, Doin A Glamour Shot

Image credits: ToDoTheHump

Source: boredpanda.com