November is National Adopt A Senior Pet Month — a month dedicated to helping older pets find loving forever homes.
Shelters and rescues across the country hope those looking to adopt a new furry friend will consider adding a senior pet to the family this month. If you care about sweet senior animals, help spread the word throughout November. We can help older pets find homes together.
Here’s what you should know about older pets during Adopt A Senior Pet Month.
Senior Pets Have Trouble Finding Homes
Many people walk into a shelter or scour a rescue’s website hoping to adopt a new puppy or kitten, completely overlooking the perfectly adoptable older dogs and cats in kennels and cages in their search.
In many cases, the absolute most difficult group of homeless pets to place are older dogs and cats.
Senior pets tend to spend the longest amount of time at shelters or rescues before finding their forever homes. That’s if they find one at all.
Canines and felines of advanced age have higher euthanasia rates than their younger counterparts. They can often live out the rest of their lives in a shelter kennel.
Facts like these make National Adopt a Senior Pet Month so important.
The Benefits Of Adopting Senior Pets
There are plenty of benefits to selecting an older pet over a younger one. Because senior pets are typically calmer and less energetic than puppies and kittens, it’s easier to teach them new tricks. In fact, many senior pets are already pros at performing basic commands.
Their low-key natures can also make them ideal for households with children, so long as kids know how to gently interact with older animals.
Many people find themselves unprepared for the energy and needs of a young pet. But a sweet senior moves at a much more manageable pace. They’re less demanding and usually fit in well in many kinds of households, including apartments.
Senior Pets Are Easier To Handle
What some adopters of younger pets are unprepared for is what hard work it can be to housetrain a new puppy or kitten. You have to spend copious amounts of time training a new puppy to do their business outdoors or teach a kitten to remember where the litter box is.
But older pets have often come to the shelter after years of living in homes, so they’re usually already housetrained, saving you from weeks, months, or in some cases, even years of stress.
Understanding the personality of an animal is key to finding the perfect match for your family and for that homeless pet. While young puppies and kittens are still developing their personalities, you’ll know right away whether a senior dog is a snuggle-bug or a senior cat is more of an independent spirit.
With a senior, what you see is what you get. You won’t have to worry about them growing too big to manage, and you won’t have to worry about any drastic personality or energy level changes either.
What Do You Get When You Adopt A Senior Pet?
Adopters who add a senior pet to the family often get an entirely different level of satisfaction from the adoption experience. When you adopt a senior, you’re saving a life. In return, you’ll get lots of love from an amazing companion.
That said, bringing an older pet home from the shelter or rescue can have its own unique challenges. Sometimes, because the pet is at an advanced age, there can be some extra health issues to consider.
It’s not necessarily “cheap” to care for a senior animal. They’ll need regular vet care, preventative care, and dental care to stay in good health.
But that, by no means, should deter someone from adopting a senior pet, Boston says. Depending on breed, lifestyle, and existing health issues, a senior dog or cat can still have plenty of healthy and happy years to give as your loving companion.
Senior Pet Adopters Don’t Regret It
Apparently, once an adopter goes senior, many say they would never go back to adopting a young whippersnapper. Senior pets often make the most grateful adoptees.
When an adopter takes home an animal in their later years, that pet tends to know that they’re loved and gives even more love in return. They know they’ve been adopted by their hero!
Are you interested in adopting a senior dog or cat in honor of National Adopt a Senior Pet Month? Check out the adoption pages on DogTime and CatTime. Performing a simple search for a senior pet yields plenty of results and can help you find the perfect dog or cat to complete your family.
Have you ever adopted a senior pet? What would you recommend for first-time adopters? Let us know in the comments below!
