Adopting a Senior Animal
Throughout the month of November, Blue Ridge Humane Society is celebrating Adopt a Senior Pet Month with our Goldie Olide Adoption Promo, waiving adoption fees for senior animals (7 years or older). If you’re interested in adopting, Whitney Drake, BRHS Behavior & Training Manager, shared some reasons why you should consider adopting a senior pet.
- Senior animals are generally calmer
- When compared to younger animals, senior animals need less exercise.
- Senior animals are more likely to cuddle with you on the couch than run around your yard doing zoomies all day.
- Senior animals *usually* have a baseline of manners, this means:
- Less training on your part
- Easier to add into your lifestyle
- Better chances of being house-trained
- Less chances of having destructive tendencies
- Senior animals need adopters
- They usually stay longer in shelter systems.
- More people gravitate towards younger dogs.
- They can become overlooked in an adoption center.
- In general, senior animals are easier to add to your home when compared to a puppy
- Senior animals can learn your routine quicker.
- Less chances of them needing a ton of management for inappropriate behaviors (chewing, eliminating inappropriately).
- Bonding can happen quicker with a senior animal
- Older animals often have a focus on more affection from humans rather than playing and expending excess energy.
- They are more settled with being in a home and not as easily distracted.
Things to remember:
- Older animals will still be playful! Don’t worry that you will miss out on playing with a new animal – a senior animal will still have moments where they want to play.
- Older animals don’t mean that they are “sick” or have medical needs. Where this can be the case, it isn’t always something to worry about. It is good to always keep older animals on preventative care for their age (like joint supplements).
Overall, when you bring home a senior animal, you’re playing a part in a much larger role in changing an animal’s life that needs you the most. Older animals are overlooked and can be some of the easiest to add into your home.
