The Benefits of Adopting Senior Animals

​If you’re thinking of adding a furry friend to your family, please consider opening your heart and home to an older cat or dog in need. Senior pets are often the last to be adopted from shelters, overlooked because of their age or the assumption that they are in a shelter because they are "problem pets." 

Senior pets lose their homes for a variety of reasons, usually having nothing to do with their behavior or temperament, but because their owners are unable to keep them for a variety of reasons, including: death of a guardian, loss of job, a move, change in work schedule, and various other lifestyle changes.

Senior pets need homes just as much as puppies and younger adult pets do, and there are many perks to adopting a senior pet!

• ​What You See is What You Get:  Their physical size is established and their temperaments and personalities are also fully developed. They have already grown into who and what they are going to be.
• Most Older Pets Have Already Been Trained:  Typically, an older pet has been exposed to some basic obedience training, is familiar with living in a house, and is often house or litter-box trained. In most cases, the transition into your home will be easier than with a younger dog or puppy.
• The Older Pet is Past the Destructive Phase:  Puppies and kittens have to be taught not to chew, scratch, or play bite. Older pets have often moved beyond this behavior.
• Senior Pets Require Less Exercise:  Looking for a low energy pet who is content with a walk and then to curl up on the couch to keep you company while you watch TV or read? Senior pets aren't as frisky and rambunctious as puppies or a kittens, and in most cases, their requirements for exercise will be far less.
• You Can Teach an Old Pet New Tricks:  Pets can be trained at any age with enough patience and dedication. Older dogs often have a greater attention span than puppies, making them easier to train.
  

If a Senior Pet sounds like a perfect match for you and your family, visit our Available Dogs and Available Cats pages and look for pets 6 years of age or older. ​