Age Is Not An Illness
The Benefits Of Adopting An Older Pet
By Margot K. Vahrenwald, DVM, ASVJ
It really is finally fall and there are many things to be celebrated. Wouldn’t it be a good time to add a new furry family member? Maybe a senior pet who deserves to be loved and taken care of. November celebrates adoption of senior pets. Is there room in your heart and home?
Why adopt an older animal? Isn’t that setting yourself up for sickness and sadness? Not necessarily. No one can make guarantees, but age is not an illness and there are a great number of benefits from adopting an older dog or cat.
1. Older dogs are already housetrained – they know their manners.
2. Older dogs settle in easily because they already know the fundamentals of living in a household.
3. Older cats adapt well in to households with children. Kittens and young children can be a recipe for stress and disaster while an older, friendly kitty can tolerate more handling and also know when to escape.
4. Older cats are litter-box trained.
5. Older dogs and cats are good at giving love. They are grateful for your care and the second chance they’ve been given.
6. With both older dogs and cats, what you see is what you get – their personality is already established … and they’re already full-grown.
7. An older dog already knows “no” – and they are past the stage of teething, so shoes and furniture should be safe.
8. Older cats are less demanding of your time and more independent, but also much more ready to cuddle and nap with you too.
Most older pets end up in shelters, with rescue groups or are abandoned as a function of their age. Their former owners may have been impacted by illness or financial difficulties while others cast the aging pet aside because they tired of taking care of them.
Sadly, because of age bias, these older pets are more likely to face euthanasia in the shelter system because adopters overlook them in favor of puppies and kittens.
So, if there is room in your heart and home, consider visiting a local shelter or rescue group today or soon to find one of these special pets waiting for love.
Dr. Margot can be reached at parkhillvet.com
Adoption Resources:
Denver Dumb Friends League:
www.ddfl.org
Denver Animal Shelter:
www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/denver-animal-shelter/adoptables/view-adoptable-pets-online.html
Foothills Animal Shelter:
www.foothillsanimalshelter.com
The Senior Dogs Project:
www.srdogs.com