Grooming for a senior dog? Also medical question

[Aleron]

I work at two different grooming shops and always find myself wishing people with elderly hairy dogs would just do their dogs a favor and have them shaved. Most dogs coat texture is already ruined by spaying/neutering anyway and once a dog is in his teens, who cares if it doesn't grow back quickly or comes in patchy? I really think it's kinder to the dog to just keep them short if they hate the grooming process or are unable to physical tolerate a lot of brushing/dematting. And I say that as someone who used to be horrified when people shaved their hairy dogs