5 Reasons Why You Should Adopt a Senior Dog

November is National Adopt A Senior Pet Month. This month is dedicated to helping older pets find new, loving fur-ever homes. In many cases, the most challenging group of homeless people is more senior dogs and cats.

Shelters worldwide are asking and hoping for those searching for a furry-friend to not forget about the older/senior dogs in the shelters. Yes, puppies and adolescent dogs are great, and some are trained, but there is a good chance you can find a trained older dog, and their previous owners had to give them up for some reason.

Senior pets tend to spend the longest time at shelters or rescues before finding their fur-ever homes. That’s if they find one at all. Canines and felines of advanced age have higher euthanasia rates than their younger counterparts. They can often live the rest of their lives out in a shelter kennel, which may not be very long if they are in a kill-shelter.

Here are five reasons why you should adopt a senior dog.

What You See is What You Get

With senior pets, you know what you’re getting. Senior pets’ personalities are already developed, so you can tell right away if they will be a good fit for your family. Even things like their size, energy level, and health status are already established, so you know what to expect with your new furry friend.

They Make Great Companions

Older pets are typically calmer and are more relaxing day-to to-day routine. As we all know, puppies and kittens, though very fun, are often more rambunctious and may find themselves getting into mischief when they get bored, and senior dogs already know that you may have to go to work or leave them for a few hours on the weekends.

Family Oriented

The low-key, mellow nature of older pets makes them a great fit for households with children. Before ending up in shelters, senior pets often come from a family life, making adjusting to a new home environment much easier for you and your new friend.

You CAN Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

Senior dogs have a better attention span and impulse control that makes them easier to train than puppies. Senior pets are often already trained and may even perform basic commands such as sit, stay, and down. The great news is that even if they’re not, they are much easier to train than younger animals. Their experience around humans and more established physical and mental abilities allow them to understand the commands better and pick up new tasks much faster than puppies.

You Are Saving Their Life

...and they will be forever grateful. Many suggest that senior pets are incredibly thankful for their new fur-ever home. They seem to know they’ve been rescued, and owners often notice an extra unique sense of love and compassion from their senior pet.

If you are interested in adopting a dog, please keep in mind that the senior dogs longed to be loved again in a new fur-ever home. Be sure to visit your local shelters and see if you can help save a life! Who knows, they may help save yours too!

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