Walking into an animal shelter can be overwhelming with all the choices of pets available: dogs, cats, kittens, puppies, a variety of breeds, colors, temperaments, ages, etc. Most people tend to be attracted to puppies and kittens, because, well they are adorable. Who could not resist their cute little faces?
However, adopting a senior pet could be more advantageous to you and your family. Senior pets are those considered to be 5 years or older.
Why Adopt a Senior Pet
Here are 5 reasons why senior animals make great pets.
1. Rescue Pet Bond
Pets who have been uprooted from their happy homes or haven’t had a great start are more likely to bond completely and deeply with their new parents. This means that they will love you unconditionally and be entirely loyal to you. Once attached to a new family, they seem to want to please them as much as possible to make sure they aren’t homeless once again. Most senior rescue pets make exceptionally great and loyal companions.
2. You are not adopting someone else’s problem
The common misconception of “won’t I be adopting someone else’s problems?” Contrary to most beliefs, older pets lose their homes for many different reasons, most having nothing to do with the pet or its behavior. Most of the time, the pet has outlived their usefulness or novelty to their owner. Sometimes their owner passes away or can no longer keep the pet due to their living situation. Rarely does it have to do with the pet’s temperament or behavior. Also, whenever an animal is brought to an animal rescue or shelter, they normally go through a behavior assessment to ensure that they are ready for adoption.
3. Most Senior Pets are Trained
Most senior dogs know how to “sit,” “down,” or “come” and are acclimated to living in a home. Some are even potty trained! This means that instead of adopting a puppy or kitten to start at square one with training, they already know basic commands. Another great reason that coincides with training is that senior pets are adaptable. The misconception of “you can’t teach an old dog (pet) new tricks” is untrue. Senior pets are actually more easily trainable because they can focus on you without being distracted by their surroundings. They also learn quickly because they are willing to please their new parents.
4. What you see is what you get
There will be no surprises or unknowns with temperament, size, coat or color when you adopt a senior pet. They’re full grown, meaning they won’t grow any larger. This ensures that they won’t get any bigger or smaller. They have grown out of the puppy/kitten phase, which means their temperament and energy level is going to stay exactly as it is now. This makes it easy to decide which pet is best especially if you have a busy family environment. Senior pets won’t need as much exercise and you can rely on that they won’t be as rambunctious as your children when you get home from work. Some kittens and puppies when they are youngsters have different coats than when they are older. Senior pets, as mentioned earlier, have fully grown into the animal they will physically be.
5. Age is just a number
Senior pets still provide just as much love and loyalty than any other aged pet. They still have years of love and fun ahead. Most pets live on an average of 10-18 years. So if you adopt a pet that is 5 years old, then you still have 5 to 8 years of great memories with that pet. Also, there is a statistic that senior pets are the least likely to be adopted because of their age.
These are just a few reasons why senior animals make great pets. For more reasons, visit the following websites: ASPCA, Petfinder and Healthy Pets. After you’ve decided that the best option for you is to adopt a senior pet, check out our adoptable senior dogs and cats.