Doggone: November is National Adopt a Senior Pet month

This November, celebrate the beauty of older pets available at Pennsylvania animal shelters and rescues with National Adopt a Senior Pet month.

Sure, baby animals are irresistibly adorable, but they also require a lot of work to house train and maintain (as anyone who’s tried to house train a puppy can attest). It just so happens that November is National Adopt A Senior Pet Month, which makes it an ideal time to consider adding an older pet to your home. Older pets can be just as lovable and loyal as younger ones—and may even better fit with people’s lifestyles. 

Created by the ASPCA and petfinder.com, the initiative aims to improve folks’ perceptions of senior pets and see them as worthy candidates for adoption. Older dogs and cats are frequently overlooked in favor of younger animals, making them among the last to be adopted. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the adoption rate for senior dogs is 25%, while the adoption rate for younger dogs and puppies is 60%. For cats, the adoption rate for felines that are 1.5 years and older is 60%, while the adoption rate for kittens is 82%. Because of this, they frequently spend the longest amount of time at shelters, which puts them at greater risk of being euthanized.

Cindy Kelly, who is the director of communication and development for the Bucks County SPCA in suburban Philadelphia, said it’s easy for people to get drawn in by playful pups and energetic cuddly kittens, sometimes at the expense of those shelter animals with a little frosting around the muzzle. National Adopt a Senior Pet Month is a good reminder that older pets make ideal companions, especially for those seeking a somewhat mellower furry friend.

“You adopt a pet that’s nine, ten years old, and they have fewer demands in terms of their energy level,” Kelly said. “They’re generally a little more relaxed and wonderful companions. And it’s a joy to give them that comfortable place to enjoy those golden years.”

Another benefit of adopting an older animal? Making room at the shelter for another critter seeking a forever home.

“Senior pets are great to adopt from a shelter because you’re not only saving that animal, you’re opening up space within that shelter for another animal to move in,” Kelly said. “We really like to tell people they’re helping two animals at once.” 

What are some of the advantages of adopting an older pet? 

• Older dogs and cats have often grown out of habits like teething, biting, destructive behavior, and accidents in the house that puppies and kittens have not, making them infinitely easier to care for.
• Mature animals often have some basic training, and know important directives like “sit” and “down.”
• Older animals are more likely to be more adaptive and settle into a home more easily and quickly than younger pets because they already know how to get along with other pets and different people.
• Senior pets are already grown, so they are more likely to have already-developed dispositions, without the physical and behavioral changes that come with maturation.
• With seniors, you won’t have to worry about the additional costs of purchasing bigger pens or carriers or creating more room for them in your house.

Wondering where to find a senior pet? Local shelters, rescues, and animal control facilities are an ideal place. HumanePA has an extensive list of Pennsylvania animal shelters and rescues, broken out by county. These national resources are also helpful:

• The ASPCA 
• Petfinder
• The Humane Society of the United States