After a month of posts about the literal thousands of kittens and puppies who've been put in shelters this summer, Petfinder themselves wrote to remind people of the possibilities of adopting senior pets.
Senior pets are often chosen because they're sooo lovable. Though they are set in their ways, their habits are usually good, especially if you use the same cues their previous humans used. You might wonder why you never see them doing something dogs or cats often do, then stumble across the word someone else taught them as a cue to do that thing!
They had some sort of "toilet" before and will look for the analogous facility at your home--sand pit, litter box, newspapers, behind the shed, under a tree. Some cats will even wrap up their solid wastes for you, and some senior cats have lived with humans long enough to have figured out how to use the toilet just as humans do. (What they tend not to learn is how to flush, because they learn that a human will take care of that.)
At first a senior pet might think of you as an emergency backup human who might help the animal get back to its own human. Indoor pets typically learn to use affectionate touch to show good will toward all humans. Even then there is likely to be a gesture of special affection for the animal's own pet human that the animal might some day make to you.
Sometimes a healthy senior pet seems as frisky as ever. (It may have been even more energetic when it was younger.) Most older cats spend more time sleeping than waking, though. Senior pets tend to be more calm and mellow than younger animals. They still need exercise, but are more willing to walk slowly at your heel rather than scampering off to chase every squirrel and dive into every puddle.
Senior pets are often chosen by senior humans. You might think it's sad--I do--that people can't rely on continuity if their pets outlive them. It's a good idea for all people old enough to have homes separate from their parents' to consider the possibility that we might become unable to care for pets. (Especially big athletic dogs, if we are the kind of big athletic young people who climb rocks and get tackled and chase friends down icy steps during snowball fights, and are generally likely to become wheelchair owners. If you are a cross-country runner and your pet is a greyhound, it's extra important to have a backup care plan.) Ideally a friend, neighbor, or relative will make sure your animal friends are fed, and large dogs are exercised, by someone they know, should you or a family member have to stay in a hospital.
Nevertheless, if your friends think there's a high probability that your pet will become a permanent member of their households, and they already have pets, the thought "But Grandma's dog is fifteen years old" may relieve the strain a bit.
With all these points in favor of older animals, even people who fall in love with a senior animal while visiting a shelter may hesitate to adopt one because they worry about the animal's vet bills. That was what Petfinder was e-mailing about. Petfinder actually has a fund that can help a few deserving pet adopters feel confident about adopting the most lovable animal in the shelter. Check it out when you visit the Petfinder page.
Here are three photogenic senior pets. As always, you're encouraged to share the pictures with everybody, especially with people who know they need a dog in their lives but didn't realize that there might be financial aid available if they adopt an older dog.
1. Zipcode 10101: Stella from Palm Beach
Stella has had a hard time finding a home. She's a coon hound, a popular breed in rural areas, but to improve her chance of finding a home she's being kept in New York and advertised for adoption on the New York City page. They're willing to negotiate transportation to a good home in the country. She was found in Palm Beach, probably forgotten by some retiree who grew "old" and died there. She's been adopted once and returned to the shelter. No special problems are described, though, just that she needs a home with people who understand her breed. Coon hounds are long and lean; they don't weigh as much as some people's idea of "big dogs" but they take up a lot of room and need a place to exercise their long legs. In the photo she's foreshortened a bit; if you click through the photo gallery at her web page you can see that, standing like that, her head's about even with adult humans' hips.
Coon hounds are bold, tough, and stubborn. They're not usually vicious, but can be intimidating and are recommended as pets for teenagers not small children. They were bred for the ability, or willingness, to fight animals who are stronger than they are. When raccoon hunters shot a poor cornered'coon out of a tree into a pack of hounds they expected to be entertained, in a boorish nineteenth century way, as "the fur will really fly" in the fight before half a dozen dogs killed the one raccoon--and not all the dogs would survive, either. You do not want to get a coon hound locked into fighting mode. That's one reason why people like them. Evildoers are motivated to avoid a coon hound's human.
But they prefer peace and quiet to fighting, actually. They make great companions for those who can give them the space and respect they deserve. They like to follow an active outdoor human around a garden or farm; they'll lie down and rest beside their human, nap in the sun or shade, go along on any hunting or fishing trips that may be proposed. Stella's foster humans say she's bonding with another dog she might be happy keeping as a roommate, or "boyfriend" (though both dogs are sterilized), or she might be happy as someone's only dog. Coon hounds are basically outdoor animals but Stella's been spoiled enough to enjoy heating and air conditioning.
2. Zipcode 20202: Lil Luau from Arlington
Her web page: https://www.petfinder.com/dog/lil-luau-65773581/va/arlington/oldies-but-goodies-northern-va-cocker-rescue-va05/
Spaniels are known for being docile, affectionate followers who love to be petted and want to please humans. Sometimes their "Schmoo" personalities trigger abusers. All that's known for sure is that lovable Luau was found on the streets of Arlington and never claimed as a lost pet. She has heartworms and is being treated for this life-threatening disease. Shelter staff think she has some hearing loss, too, but it's hard to tell because she's such a good observer of visual cues. Spaniels are usually small dogs (Luau weighs 14 pounds) who go through life begging other dogs and humans to be their leaders because they're such good little followers and will do whatever they're told. Luau is described as typical. She likes to be held and petted, likes to make other dogs feel like pack leaders, only gets fretful and yappy if she's left alone.
3. Zipcode 30303: Maggie Mae from Atlanta
Her web page: https://www.petfinder.com/dog/maggie-mae-64767837/ga/atlanta/rescue-angels-of-ga-ga194/
If she was born in the spring of 2011, her current age is...? Right. That's how long she's been stuck in the shelter. A typical senior shelter pet, Maggie Mae lived with one human until her human died. She is described as quiet, dignified, with couch potato tendencies. She does not currently have a diagnosis of anything serious, and she came from the north Georgia mountains, but the shelter staff want her to stay close to Atlanta.
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