Tears have been shed over an elderly dog who got a second chance at life after being adopted in his twilight years.Simone, 33, works in communications and lives in France with his partner and their senior dog Pierrot, an Irish setter and Ibizan hound cross whom they adopted from a shelter when he was 12 years old.In 2020, Simone and his partner discussed getting a dog, and opted to search shelters for “a small dog with a nice, calm character” to fit into their life in a tiny apartment in Paris.After visiting three rescues and not finding their perfect match, they were about to leave when they were told about a senior dog who had just entered the rescue the day before鈥攁fter being “thrown above the shelter fence during the night.”Simone told Newsweek that this dog was “really kind and calm,” and was already peacefully getting along with the other canines in the kennel, despite the trauma he had just been through.There were issues, however鈥攁t 12 years old, the dog was in his twilight years, and had medical issues including a severe ear infection. He was also chipped, and while his former owners didn’t want him, they refused to sign documents giving him up; this meant he wasn’t able to be adopted, and his former owners could technically take him back at any time.But as Simone said: “We immediately wanted to see him.”The couple got to know the dog slowly, visiting every week to take him on walks and fall in love with his personality. And finally, a month later, they got the news that they could take him home, and the couple named him Pierrot.”When he entered the apartment, he peed on the corridor wall,” Simone said鈥攁nd revealed it is the one and only time Pierrot did that in the five years since, joking that “he probably just wanted to say he was home.””Pierrot is so calm and gentle; we realized we could bring him anywhere. He started coming to work with us; he takes the Metro, the train; our friends always request us to bring him; and we can let their kids play with him,” Simone said of life with their old dog. “But what he loves above all is to sleep at the back of the car while we drive.”In the five years since adopting him, Pierrot has been on every vacation with his owners, including a weeklong boat trip, and a friend’s wedding where he found the most-comfortable spot in the venue and curled up to sleep.And even a frightening moment when Pierrot was 15 and was diagnosed with throat cancer turned out to be a breeze for the senior dog; after surgery, he “woke up like nothing happened and the next day he was running again.”The couple share snapshots of life with Pierrot to their Instagram account @pierrotgoodboy, and Simone’s TikTok, @olitax.In a video to his TikTok account @olitax on June 24, viewed more than 2.7 million times, Simone shared photographs of the now-17-year-old dog, whose face is almost completely white, and wrote: “POV [point of view] you adopted the oldest dog from the shelter because no one deserves to be alone.”The photos show Pierrot napping on the couch, smiling on a walk with his owners, looking at an artwork of himself, and on a trip to the beach.TikTok users were in tears, with one commenter writing: “People who decide to adopt elder animals deserve everything.””I don’t care how old a dog is, it’s still a puppy,” another said, while a third posted they were “sobbing.” Another praised the owner and the canine: “You are such a gorgeous person for doing this and your dog is beautiful.”Simone told Newsweek that, at 17 years old, Pierrot has “less energy and some osteoarthritis so he’s spending more time at home to rest, but we can feel the happiness is still here.”What touches me the most is that, despite his weariness, he keeps following us everywhere when we are outside,” Simone said. “He doesn’t see that well anymore, so he’ll lose us from time to time, but when he finds us back, he is happy like on the first day we met.””For us, adopting an older dog was a way to know the character of the dog straight away and make a shorter commitment. But, finally, we realized quickly that we want the commitment with Pierrot to be as long as possible,” Simone said.”We cannot believe the amount of love Pierrot has given us; it’s really not a question of age. Older dogs can give you a lot; they truly understand the second chance they’ve been given, and show thankfulness.”Simone and his partner, who both have tattoos of Pierrot to keep him with them forever, now encourage people around them to adopt from shelters, and in particular to consider an older dog.Simone said: “Our experience shows how much an old dog doesn’t mean anything less compared to a puppy. Shelters are full of dogs like Pierrot.”In the United States, around 5.8 million dogs and cats entered shelters and rescues in 2024 alone. The length of time that dogs, especially large dogs, are staying in shelters before being adopted has increased, contributing to the capacity crisis, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).Simone thanked all shelter workers who “work tirelessly to save these animals,” particularly those at the SPA shelter of Orgeval, where they adopted Pierrot. “Thank you for your invaluable advice,” he said. “It’s thanks to you that we found Pierrot.”Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.