Benefits of Adopting Senior Pets

November is National Adopt a Senior Pet Month

In addition to the hundreds of reasons to adopt a senior pet as showcased on our adoption floor daily, in pets like Katy and Rio, we have narrowed down the top eight reasons to take home a senior pet today!

• What you see is what you get (WYSWYG) – senior shelter pets often come with a known past history making surprises less common. In addition, their size and temperament are on full display, also cutting down on any future surprises.
• Search and destroy – by the time they are seniors, the search and destroy phase has turned into the sleep and (puppy) dream phase.
• Pet etiquette (Pet-iquette?)– many older pets are accustomed to living in a home which tends to come with the basics of sit, stay and being housetrained which leads to more time for you to “just hang out” with your new addition. In addition, they have often been socialized with other people and pets.
•  You can teach an old dog new tricks – for those senior pets who don’t fit into the above category and whose history may be mystery, there is a silver lining as you can still teach them the ropes at any age. After all, with age comes wisdom.
• Calm, cool and collected – puppies and kittens are adorable (thank goodness for that when their naughty phase strikes!) With senior pets, they are content to lounge around or take leisurely walks with only one prerequisite: that you are by their side.
•  They keep us young – senior pets are a great source of companionship for senior citizens. They help to get them out of the house and interacting with others which leads to a variety of increased health benefits.
•  Choices, choices, choices – long coat, short hair, fond of cats, purebred?? Regardless of the type of pet you are looking for, there are a variety of choices at your local shelter.
•  Second chances – by taking home a senior pet, you are truly giving them the best in their Golden Years and there are few things quite as great as knowing that!