Top Reasons to Adopt a Senior Pet.
All across the country there are dogs, cats, and many other types of pets finding themselves without a home. What happens to these pets when their family can no longer care for them? In a perfect world they will find a new, loving
family. However, a large number of dogs and cats aren’t adopted due to their “old age”. A veterinarian may label a dog a senior as soon as 7 and a cat as soon as 11. With many breeds, 7-11 years old is just approaching middle aged. When adopting a new pet, those who start their search with puppies or kittens may not have considered an older pet. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of adopting a senior dog or cat.
Senior pets are more likely to be euthanized in a shelter
Dogs over the age of five are often overlooked in favor of younger puppies or kittens. Shelters are overcrowded and unfortunately, in order to make room for the new arrivals, older dogs are among the first to be euthanized. By adopting a senior dog, you are not only providing it with a better life but are also saving it from a higher probability of being put down.
Some may assume that the older pets in the shelter are “problem pets”
Senior pets can lose their homes for a number of reasons, usually having nothing to do with their behavior or temperament. Often times the reason for these pets being surrendered is that their owners are simply unable to keep them. Some reasons dogs have been returned are, the novelty of owning a dog wears off, allergies, or death of a guardian. A new baby in the home, loss of a job, a move, change in work schedule, and various other lifestyle changes all have led to good dogs and cats being surrendered to a shelter. These dogs need homes just as badly as the younger ones do, and make wonderful household pets too!
An older pet can adapt to your life more easily
An older pet, may already have some basic training and understanding of its humans’ expectations. For example, going to the bathroom outside, or in a litter box is something they have done before, and will attempt to continue this habit in their new home.
However, if there are areas that still need training, an old pet CAN learn new tricks!
There will be a similar effort in training an older pet, vs a younger one. An older pet may be easier to train due to a lower energy level or having previous training and just needing a reminder on what to do.
Please consider adding an older pet to your family. These dogs, cats, and other pets all deserve to live out their remaining years in luxury!