Time is flying by so quickly and the holiday season is slowly approaching. No matter what holiday you celebrate, the most important thing is to spend time with your loved ones. This obviously includes our furry family members too. However, there are many animals who are still in shelters not able to celebrate with a family of their own. In honor of Adopt a Senior Pet Month, here are all the reasons that a senior pet would make a wonderful addition to your family – just in time for the holidays!
Senior pets often end up in shelters due to no fault of their own after being abandoned by their family when they are no longer able to care for them properly. Whatever the reason may be for their surrender, senior animals face the highest risk of euthanasia because of their age and lack of interest for adoption. But these pets should not be overlooked. There are plenty of reasons to consider bringing an older pet into your home and welcoming them into your family.
What You See Is What You Get
Seniors are fully grown so you can immediately tell if you have room for them, how much energy they have and what their grooming requirements would be. And since senior animals have already grown into their personalities, it is easy to determine which would match with your current family dynamic
Most Come Already Trained
Though younger animals are cute as buttons, older pets can be just as loving and adorable and require a lot less work. While puppies and kittens still need to learn home etiquette, housetraining and new commands, seniors are often already housetrained and know most basic commands. Even if these seniors are missing a few key commands and manners, that does not mean they aren’t able to learn. Old dogs (and cats!) CAN learn new tricks! And older animals have a bigger attention span and willingness to please than their younger counterparts. Babies require much more monitoring and patience because the world is still so new and interesting to them. Senior have already passed this stage in their life and are well equipped to learn and follow commands with much more focus!
Laid Back Living
Senior pets still require regular exercise, socialization and mental stimulation but they do it in much smaller doses and less vigorously that younger pets. They are often content taking it easy, simply enjoying quality time. This means a senior pet can often fit into your regular daily routine much easier than younger animals with much higher energy levels.
Love has no age limit! If you are looking to extend your family, why not check out the pets at your local shelter with an open mind? You never know which pet will grab ahold of your heart. Senior pets just need a second chance so they can live out their golden years in a loving home. Why not give a special senior a second chance this holiday season?
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