The unconditional love and bond from a pet can be special. When a cat or dog is brought to live in a house, the adopters will likely come to deeply care for their pet and the thought of not having their pet in their lives becomes unbearable. This can be especially true for people who bring in very young animals. But what about adopting a senior animal? November is National Adopt a Senior Pet Month – a month dedicated to helping older cats and dogs find loving new homes.
But what are some of the benefits of adopting a senior pet?
They could already be trained or it will be easier to train them
Each senior animal can have a different background so an older cat or dog might already be trained. This means a dog is ready to go to the bathroom outdoors or a cat would use a litterbox. Given the most basic commands like “sit” and “come” would be second nature for them. However, sometimes adopters believe that an older pet might come with some unwanted behaviours. While this certainly isn’t always the case, the good news is that just because you adopt a senior pet, it doesn’t mean you can’t teach them new things or work on existing behaviours. Don’t forget, you can ALWAYS teach an old dog (or cat) new tricks!
They have developed their personality
When you adopt a senior pet, you will know what their personality is like quite quickly and you will know if they will be a good fit for your household and family. Are they shy and closed off? Are they confident? Do they seem independent? Cuddly? With a senior pet, their personality traits have been established and that means it’s likely you won’t have too many surprises!
Older animals make good companions
After adopting a kitten or a puppy, that kitten would likely need to be shown to use a litter box and that puppy might need to be leash trained. Then there is socialization, routines, and more. With an older pet, especially a dog, you will get a companion who will be friendly and loyal to you.
Giving an older pet a new home can feel good
Sometimes knowing an older cat or dog has a new home where they can be cared for and appreciated can simply feel good! Older pets deserve good homes where they can happily live out the rest of their lives surrounded by love.
While these are only a few reasons why you should consider adopting a senior pet, take a look at our adoption webpage where you could read about the older animals would are looking for forever homes through the GTHS. All pets deserve a home – perhaps an older pet is purrfect for you!
