Adopt Don't Shop

Every year on May 20th, we celebrate National Rescue Dog Day, a day that shines a light on the countless incredible dogs waiting in shelters and rescues for their second chance, their forever family, and their happily ever after. As someone who has had her heart changed and healed by rescue dogs more times than I can count, I can tell you firsthand, adopting a rescue dog will change your life, all for the better. 

And yes, there may be poop involved. But it’s worth it, I promise.

Why Rescue Dogs Deserve the Spotlight

There’s a myth that rescue dogs are damaged, difficult, or less than. I’m here to bust that BS wide open. Rescue dogs are like all other dogs. They’re goofy, gentle, loving, and often incredibly resilient even when they shouldn’t have to be. Some have been through things no dog ever deserves, and while some may require additional patience, care, and time to adjust, it’s all part of the forever love they’re eager to give and receive.

Adopting a rescue dog means saying yes to love, to healing, and to rewriting a story that could have ended in heartbreak.

Meet the Rescue Behind Our Heart: Bullies-N-Beyond ResQ

I’ve talked about them before and I’ll keep singing their praises forever. Bullies-N-Beyond ResQ is the rescue that brought Meatball and Petunia into our lives.

Meatball, our current snuggle boss and official Cogs Dogs taste tester, was adopted from this rescue after we fostered him for a month. I didn’t know it then but adopting him has changed my life for the better. He’s made me a better person, a better dog mom, and overall a happier person. He’s the most incredible dog and I’m forever grateful for him and for his rescue for saving him.

And then there’s Petunia, a six-year-old Frenchie who spent her whole life being used for breeding. She was terrified of the world when we first met but slowly started discovering that it wasn’t so scary after all. She’s now living her best life with a beautiful family who adores her, and I cry every time I think about her journey and how far she has come.

Without Bullies-N-Beyond ResQ, these stories wouldn’t exist. These dogs wouldn’t exist. This rescue works tirelessly to save, rehabilitate, and rehome dogs who have nowhere else to turn, and have a focus on the bully breeds, who we absolutely love.

Learn more or adopt from Bullies-N-Beyond ResQ here

Adoptable Dogs Who Need You and Will Love You Forever

Want to make this National Rescue Dog Day unforgettable? Meet a few pups from Bullies-N-Beyond who are still waiting for their forever homes:

Luna

Luna is a sweet girl and is the total package, playful, affectionate, and smart as a whip. She’s ready to be someone’s new shadow and adventure buddy. If you’re looking for a dog who’ll be your ride or die and cuddle on the couch, Luna’s your gal. Whoever adopts her has to promise to continue playdates with her boyfriend Meatball. 😊

Wonder

Wonder lives up to his name. He’s curious, gentle, and so eager to love. He may be blind but he hears and smells the world just fine. He’s sweet as ever and deserves a forever family.

Kai

Kai has beautiful, soulful eyes and a heart full of love. He’s been waiting far too long, and he deserves a home where he can feel safe, seen, and celebrated every day.

If You Can’t Adopt, Here’s How You Can Still Help

Not everyone can adopt and that’s okay. You can still make a difference in a rescue dog’s life by:

•    Fostering, even short-term fosters save lives
•    Volunteering at your local rescue or shelter
•    Donating money, supplies, or even your birthday to a fundraiser
•    Sharing adoptable dogs on your social media
•    Using your platform to advocate for rescue dogs
•    Do NOT support backyard breeders or puppy mills (or pet stores who support these)

At Cogs Dogs, Rescue Is at the Heart of Everything We Do

Our mission has always been about more than just dog-themed t-shirts and treats, although let’s be real, those are great too. We’re here to make a difference. That’s why we foster, volunteer, donate, and use every opportunity to lift up the voices of those who can’t speak for themselves, dogs in need of a second chance.

Because every rescue story matters. Every dog deserves love. And every wagging tail is proof that second chances work.

Final Thoughts and Maybe Some Tears

Rescue dogs may sometimes have a sad beginning or need additional care, but they come with soul. They come with resilience. And they come with an unlimited supply of love, the kind that fixes things inside of you that you didn’t even know were broken.

So, on this National Rescue Dog Day, I hope you’ll consider opening your heart and maybe your home to a dog in need. Trust me, you’ll never regret it, because who can regret love?!

With love & pawsitivity,

Susie Cogswell, Cogs Dogs Mom

Read more

Every year on April 30th, we celebrate National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day — a heart-tugging reminder of the millions of animals in shelters waiting for a second chance, a warm bed, and a forever family.

At Cogs Dogs, this day is personal.

It’s not just about sharing cute photos (although we’re 1000% here for that too). It’s about raising awareness, driving action, and showing up for the dogs who haven’t yet found their people — dogs just like the ones who inspired our entire brand.

Why National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day Matters

According to the ASPCA, over 6.3 million animals enter shelters across the U.S. each year — and around 3.1 million of them are dogs. Sadly, many of these amazing pups never get adopted. That’s why this day exists:

👉 To remind us that adoption saves lives.
👉 To spotlight the shelters doing incredible work.
👉 And to rally our community around something that matters deeply: giving animals the love they deserve.

You Don’t Have to Adopt to Make a Difference

We get it. Not everyone is in the position to adopt or even wants to have a dog (weird, but whatever 😉) — and that’s okay. But that doesn’t mean you can’t help! Here are a few ways to celebrate National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day even if you’re not ready to bring home a new furry friend:

1. Volunteer at your local shelter. Walk dogs, clean kennels, or offer admin help. Every hour matters.
2. Donate supplies. Shelters are always in need of blankets, food, toys, or cleaning supplies. (And yep, money always helps too.)
3. Foster a pet. It gives a dog a break from the shelter and helps them get adopted faster.
4. Share adoptable pets on social media. You never know who’s looking for a new best friend.

Our Mission at Cogs Dogs

If you’ve been following us for a while, you know Cogs Dogs isn’t just about cute dog bandanas and fun designs (although we take those VERY seriously). We’re about making a real impact in the dog world — especially for senior dogs and those in need.

Our mission?

To help dog rescues and shelters however we can — through volunteering, fostering, donating, and using our platform to help as many dogs as possible find their forever homes.

We’ve fostered, cried during adoptions, cheered on our rescue partners, and worked to be more than just a brand — we want to be part of the solution.

The Dogs That Started It All

Cogs Dogs exists because of three very special rescue dogs: Champ, Diesel, and Bosley. They were our first seniors, our biggest teachers, and the very reasons this business was born. Every product we create, every post we share, and every shelter we support is rooted in the love we had (and will always have) for them.

Join the Movement 🐶

Whether you're adopting a pup, volunteering your time, or simply spreading the word — you’re making a difference.

So, this National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day, we encourage you to do one thing to support your local shelter. Big or small — it matters.

And if you're rocking a Cogs Dogs bandana while doing it? Even better. 😉

PS: Stay tuned…

Now that Susie is finally healed from back surgery, she’s heading back to one of her absolute favorite things — volunteering at the Nebraska Humane Society. Helping dogs in need is at the heart of everything we do, and we’re so excited to get even more involved again.

Let’s make a difference, one paw at a time.

With love & pawsitivity,

Susie Cogswell, Cogs Dogs Mom

Read more

Did you know that November is National Senior Pet Month? It’s a time to celebrate our older pets and consider adopting one too. In our previous blog post, we told you why WE adopt senior dogs and now we want to share why YOU should adopt one too.

When someone decides they want to add a dog to their family, most of the time it’s a puppy. Every dog requires patience, time, money, etc. but puppies, in my opinion, are a lot of work! They require a lot of consistent training, proper socialization, they chew your favorite shoes, they have accidents in the house and have a lot of energy. Don’t get me wrong, puppies are so cute I can’t stand it, but what some don’t realize is that senior dogs are just as cute, if not more. They may be older and have gray fur, but their cuteness comes from their quirky personality, the way they always must be by your side, and the endless amount of naps they can take.

With most senior dogs, they are well past the chewing stage, are already potty trained, have mellow energy with a few random bursts of the zoomies, and don’t require running a marathon for exercise. Senior pups have so much love to give, and their age doesn’t define their life’s worth. Seniors shouldn’t be discarded like trash just because they are old. Imagine if we had the same mentality about humans?!

We created Cogs Dogs in honor of our first three senior dogs we adopted, Champ, Diesel, and Bosley. They inspired us to continue our senior dog journey and help others in need. Senior dogs are the heart and soul of not only Cogs Dogs but are a part of me as well. I’ve personally seen senior dogs in shelters that were dumped simply because their “family” was moving or because the older dog didn’t like the new puppy they got for Christmas. 

While I may not know the entire story of these families that dumped their dogs, I can personally attest to the fact that these dogs didn’t deserve to be dumped in an overcrowded shelter with a risk of euthanasia just because of their age. They deserve to have a loving home through the end.

I understand adopting a senior dog isn’t for everyone, but I’m here to help in any way possible to showcase how amazing senior dogs are. I understand it can be scary and sad to think about the fact you may not have them long, but time doesn’t define the amount of love you’ll share. Plus, there’s a lot of senior pups out there that still have several years of life to live, treats to eat, and belly rubs to receive. 😊

I would love to answer your questions you have about caring for a senior pup, your concerns, your fears, and help you connect with local animal shelters rescues if you’re considering adding a furry member to your family.

Senior dogs are truly one of a kind. They teach you unconditional love, patience, to enjoy the small things in life, to slow down and enjoy the sunsets, and to celebrate every moment possible!

With love & pawsitivity,

Susie Cogswell, Cogs Dogs Mom

Read more

With Christmas coming up, it’s a wonderful time of year where families and friends get to spend time together. Watching kids open gifts can be a magical feeling. This time of year, a lot of families get their kids or significant other a puppy for Christmas. While that is awesome they’ve decided to add a furry member to their family, there are often times that another dog pays the ultimate price.

After adopting our first senior dog Champ, I learned quite a bit about senior dogs. I’ve learned that shelters and rescues have a busy time of year when families get puppies and dump their older dog, which happens to be at Christmas time ☹. When your dog is older, getting a puppy isn’t always the best idea. I have often heard of times when a family gets a puppy and the older dog snaps at or tries to bite it. Do you know what then happens to that senior dog? It goes to the shelter or worse, gets euthanized.

If you already have an older dog in the home and/or you’re considering adding a puppy or younger dog, please consider the following:

1. Visit local rescues & shelters first – there are always puppies available
   • Do not support puppy mills and backyard breeders. These dogs are abused, severely mistreated, and do not get the care and love they need.
2. Do your research to better understand what the dog may require as it gets bigger & older
   • Understand what it will require as it gets older regarding exercise, cost of food & care, prone to health issues like allergies that may requires medication, training, etc.
3. Do not get a puppy if you’re going to dump your older dog when it doesn’t welcome the puppy with open paws
   • Many times, older dogs like their space and don’t like a lot of commotion. Older dogs tend to not like puppies jumping all over them and nibbling their face.
4. Do not get a puppy because you think your senior dog wants a friend
   • Trust me when I say that your senior dog doesn’t want a friend jumping all over them, nibbling their face, barking, & always running around. Your senior dog wants to be with you and do their favorite things with their favorite human(s).
5. Most importantly, do not get a puppy if you’re going to dump it at the shelter when it becomes too much to handle, too expensive, you don’t have enough time, etc.
   • Puppies require the same things as other dogs do: exercise, patience, training, money, vet care, & proper socialization. They may be cute but they are not disposable.

If you’ve considered all these things and you’re serious about being a responsible dog parent and won’t give up on the puppy and/or your senior dog, then congratulations! If you’ve realized that maybe a puppy isn’t for the best right now, then congratulations! There are other ways to get involved with the dog community without actually having a dog. You can donate to a local rescue or shelter, volunteer (always in need of more help), advocate for responsible dog parenting, share social media posts about dogs in need, and continue to educate yourself on how you can be a dog advocate.

For Christmas this year, I encourage you to visit a local shelter especially with your kids and start teaching them about dogs. Teach them that shelter dogs aren’t bad dogs, teach them about why they are there, teach them how to interact with dogs in the shelter and in other settings, teach them to be kind to dogs and all animals, and most of all teach them that old dogs are just as great as the puppies. 😊 That is the greatest gift you could give because the more we teach others, the less dogs that will end up in shelters.

With love & pawsitivity,

Susie Cogswell, Cogs Dogs Mom

Read more

When people find out that we adopt senior dogs and our mission at Cogs Dogs is to help save more seniors, we often get questions and comments like “How can you adopt seniors knowing you won’t have them for long? How do you deal with the heartache of losing them so soon? I could never handle the heartbreak. I don’t know how you do what you do.” To say that every loss doesn’t make it hard to breathe or hard to get up in the morning, I would be lying. With every loss, no matter how long we’ve had our dogs, it is extremely heartbreaking, sad, confusing, and everything in between.

With all our seniors, we’ve never looked at them and thought that we couldn’t save them just because we may not have them for very long. We adopt older dogs for this exact reason, because we don’t know how long they have left. We always want to make damn sure that their final time is spent knowing nothing but love, feeling safe, and having a family through their final journey.

To me, having a dog in my family isn’t about the length of time we get to spend with them. While I would love to have every dog furever, my focus with our past, current, and future seniors is to give them the best of the rest of their life no matter how long or short that may be! With Champ, our first senior, we only had him for 2.5 months. During those months, we loved him so much and it felt like we had him for years because of how awesome everyday was with him. Yes, losing him so quickly was absolutely devastating because of this loss, I knew that saving seniors was my purpose in life and I had to continue with the journey. His death showed me the path of saving more seniors. We wanted his legacy to live on through every dog we saved after him.

Everyone deals with grief differently and there’s no right or wrong way, as long as there’s no harm involved. With me, my grief journey of losing Champ led me to our next seniors, Bosley & Diesel within a week of losing Champ. While no dog will ever replace another, Bosley & Diesel helped me personally with my grief of losing Champ. Each loss hurts so incredibly much and at the same time I know I must continue the journey, not just for the dogs but for me as well. This is now my life’s purpose! I’m 100% okay with my heart breaking if it means saving more seniors and being able to give them all the love they deserve, no matter how long or short that time may be. This is why we adopt senior dogs! Please consider opening your heart to adopt a senior in need!

With Love & Pawsitivity,

Susie Cogswell, Cogs Dogs Mom

#adoptdontshop #cogsdogs #seniordogs #dogs #adoptsavealife #dogsarefamily #adoptaseniordog #lifespurpose #dogadvocate #dogrescue #dogsarelife

Read more