Did you know November marks National Adopt a Senior Pet Month? The days are getting shorter and the holidays are growing closer. This marks a great opportunity for celebrating those senior pets that bring us so much joy.
Have you already adopted a senior pet? If you have, you can enter this Lilly Brush giveaway to win our top notch pet hair removers.
Why Adopt a Senior Pet?
It is never too late to adopt a senior pet. Typically, when we talk about senior pets, we are referring to pets in the second half of their lives (8+ years old). Senior pet adoption can be an awesome opportunity to welcome a new companion into your home. And, they might be a better fit for your family’s needs than a younger pet.
Senior pets find themselves up for adoption for a multitude of reasons. Financial hardship, family challenges, and living circumstances are just the start of some reasons senior pets end up in shelters.
Consider The PAWsitives
There are so many amazing characteristics to older animals. For starters, they can demand far less effort than puppies or kittens. These furry friends can be well-trained, calm, and appreciative, especially compared to younger ones.
Understand Your Needs
If you already have a pet (or pets!) and are looking to add more to your family, consider what will work best for you. It is a good idea to adopt pets around your current furry friend’s age. This can avoid any unnecessary tussles and growing pains that can be caused by a large age gap.
For someone with a more demanding job, a senior pet will be far more independent. And, they still need exercise, too! Just because they have more life experience, they still need fun play time just the same!
Don’t forget: you can teach an old dog new tricks!
Age is just a number… For us and our furry friends! Mature pets can be very adaptive and trainable to new homes and owners. Plus, with prior training, you can spend more time working on higher-level tricks. (Let’s not forget how smart dogs can be, even in their later years!)
How to help if you can’t adopt a senior pet
With any pet, it is important to adopt responsibly. If adding a new pet to your pack isn’t in the near future, consider supporting senior adoption in other ways!
Volunteering can be a heartwarming impactful experience – for the animals and volunteers alike! If you have some pet capacity, but don’t want a long-term adoption, consider fostering. Fostering is a great way to connect with new animals. It also helps reduce overpopulation in shelters. Here in our home state of Colorado, Pepper’s Senior Pet Sanctuary gives senior pets a lifelong home on a 50 acre farm.
Support others’ adoptions! Have a pal looking for a new four-legged friend? Invite them to consider a more mature pet. Especially for those who are older themselves, an elder pet can be a great addition without the concerns of adopting a youngin.
So, as we take a moment to consider what we are thankful for, let’s not forget what our pets are grateful for (Us!). This can be even more true for senior pets. Dogs and cats appreciativeness and joyfulness is contagious… is it time to open your home to a new loyal and mature furry friend?
