Results tagged “senior pet adoption” from Petfinder Blog

November is Adopt-A-Senior-Pet Month, and we'll let people who've done just that explain why seasoned companions are so special.

Read on for five senior-pet Happy Tails -- and if you can't adopt your own senior pet, you can help them find homes by adding our adoptable senior pet search widget (shown here) to your Web site.

Bunny
"We drove 800 miles to get her. It was love at first site. She happily hopped in the car and headed back to Alabama with us, where she immediately made herself at home and has stolen all of our hearts. She has filled much of the void left by my old pal Bud, and filled our home with the love of a senior dog. We tell her every day that she hit the Basset Hound lottery, but actually it was us who won."
>> Read Bunny's full Happy Tail.

On Aug. 12, Petfinder and shelters and rescue groups across the country celebrated Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Day, a day we designated to give all those pets who are often overlooked a chance to shine.

Here are just a few ways adoption groups put their extra-special pets in the spotlight -- and found new homes for some of them as well:

Three New Jersey rescue groups, Friends of Homeless Animals in Hawthorne, Here Kitty Kitty! in Paterson and Angels of Animals in Clifton teamed up to do a joint ALAP Day adoption weekend at the PETCO in Clifton. Senior cat Izzy, who'd been waiting for her forever home for way too long, found that home thanks to ALAP Day!

Our friends at The Grey Muzzle Organization, which helps at-risk senior dogs by providing funding and resources to animal shelters, rescue groups, sanctuaries and other non-profits nationwide, added our senior-pet search widget to their Web site, GreyMuzzle.org.

Washington's Seattle Animal Shelter got the story of Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Day out to local media and bloggers. As a result, five "less adoptable" pets found new homes, including two Pit Bulls with special needs!

What if you got old and nobody wanted you? That's the question posed by Judith Flatley, who adopted eight-year-old Queenie, a Pekingese whose previous parent had a stroke and could no longer care for her. The woman turned her five dogs over to Adopt-Aluv Small Breed Rescue in Mentor, OH, before going into an assisted-living facility.

Judith had already adopted one dog from Adopt-Aluv through Petfinder, and when the five dogs arrived, the rescue person called Judith to see if she could take on another. "I hesitated," Judith says, "because our other adopted Peke was such an Alpha that I wasn't sure it would work out. Now I'm sorry I hesitated even long enough to discuss it with my husband. Queenie is the sweetest dog imaginable."

I'm not a huge fan of the Westminster Dog Show, but I couldn't help being pleased that 10-year-old Sussex spaniel Stump won Best in Show this year.

The Sussex spaniel is a pretty exotic breed -- there are only three adoptable Sussex spaniel mixes listed on Petfinder -- but there are thousands of dogs age 10 and older waiting for their forever homes in shelters and foster care right now.

Many people overlook senior dogs (and other senior pets) when they're looking to adopt because they worry their time with the pet will be too short and the inevitable goodbye too painful.

In a recent blog post, Humane Society of the United States president and CEO Wayne Pacelle writes that he has a special place in his heart for people who adopt senior pets. As the parent of several longevity-blessed pets, I couldn't agree more!

Pacelle posts a letter from blogger Mary Lattanzio about seeing an adoptable three-legged Boston terrier online. Granny Annie was estimated to be about 5 years old. Mary decided to foster her, and went to meet her at her local Florida shelter.

And there she was. Much older than five. Maybe 500. She was scarred on her flanks. Her forehead looks like it was cleaved at one time.

She trailed a long cyst sack that swung when she walked. It was heavy. She is missing a front leg. She hobbles; has lumps, bumps and warts all over. She is gray-faced. ...

During my life I've had many cats. All but one were normal and well-adjusted. But the first was not. It was this one weird cat that prompted my lifelong interest in senior pets. Here is our story.

When I was in college I saw an ad in the paper for a free cat. She was a 16-year-old Calico named Callie. I thought we were a good match. I could help a cat in need and get her love in return. And, because of her age, I figured she'd pass away before I left for graduate school. Perfect timing for both of us.

Her owner had died, and she was the one pet his family wouldn't take in. I might have inquired why they didn't want her with an open mind and understanding heart, but instead, I was simply aghast (just a wee bit judgmental). After all, I was 20 and issues of animal welfare were pretty black and white.

I'm far too stubborn to be a hypocrite, so over the next months, my noisy criticism of her previous family strengthened my resolve to make this strange cat love me. For four months she lived in the kitchen cabinet (actually in my lazy Susan) only to come out to relieve herself on the carpet. Wall-to-wall became bare wood.

In Month 6, she moved into a new space, under my bed. Eventually, she began to sneak out until her days were spent with me instead of the dust bunnies.

There are more than a dozen Petfinder member organizations who specialize in rescuing and re-homing senior dogs.

Personally, I am grateful to any organization that handles senior pets of all kinds. Exactly four years ago, when I was looking for pictures to use in an Adopt-a-Senior-Pet Month promotion, I came across a little senior shepherd mix. I fell in love immediately, and Dexter has been one of my best friends ever since.

He was 10 years old when I adopted him -- he's now 14. He moves pretty slowly these days, but his adorable gray face always attracts attention from passersby on our walks. Below is just a sample of Petfinder members specializing in senior dogs.

St. Louis Senior Dog Project, St. Louis, MO

Senior Dog Rescue of Oregon, Philomath, OR

Libby's Haven for Senior Canines, Canterbury, NH

Senior Dog Adoptions, Cold Brook, NY

The Senior Dog House and Rescue, Columbia Fall, MT

The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs, Cleveland, OH

In anticipation of Adopt-a-Senior-Pet Month, the ASPCA asked members to send in their senior pet adoption stories, and here they are, in their gray-and-white glory, blurry-eyed and creaky, bowed but proud.

The joys of owning a senior pet are often overlooked as tiny kittens or jumping puppies usually grab everyone's attention at the shelter. As the human companion of two senior dogs, I can tell you that the companionship of a quiet, older pet can be very satisfying.

We often lie on the bed, spooned together, breathing together and being "in the now" in a way that would be impossible with a squirming youngster. These dogs know me -- and I, them -- in all my moods and states of low-energy or high. They delight simply by BEING with me. I don't need to amuse them. I just need to be me. (I have yet to meet a man who would be as happy as that, with "just me." LOL!)

I have been lucky enough to have the pleasure of visiting Tabby's Place in Ringoes, NJ, in person a few times. Therefore, I can attest to the sheer beauty of it -- both in aesthetics as well as its mission. Tabby's Place opened its doors in October 2003 and is able to care for almost 100 cats.

These aren't just any felines -- they are all senior or special-needs cats. Ranging in age from 1-19 years old and having special needs from FIV to cancer, the cats get the best possible care while being housed at Tabby's Place.

According to their Web site, they provide communal living environments for cats, with plenty of horizontal and vertical space for exercise and play as well as outdoor enclosures for cats to enjoy fresh air and sunlight.