#AgingPetAppreciation Month: What’s Not To Love!

Post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess

It’s a fact of life that your puppy will grow up, get older and eventually be a senior pet. In fact, it was brought up at a recent Twitter chat by one of our team members that her two dogs, Indiana and Davinia, are now seniors! They are eight and ten years old! My own, Henrietta will be eight in September and Spenser will be thirteen. Wow, where does the time go?

Because the only “young” pets in our household right now are the two kitties, Clyde and Lucy, who are three and one year old it got me to thinking… what’s not to love about aging pets! Here are my thoughts on the beauty of older pets and if you’re in the market for adopting a new pet for your home, I suggest you consider an “older” pet and here’s why:

1. We rescued Spenser from the neighbors who had him tied to a car bumper. They’d thrown a bag of dog food at the end of the driveway and left him out there. He was a puppy — the vet thought he was… maybe eight weeks old. I went over to tell them off and they said, “if you are so concerned, then take him home.” What could I do? It was November, raining and he didn’t deserve to be treated that way. When we got him he weighed 5 pounds… he now weighs 125. Gulp! We should have known he would “grow into his paws.” When you adopt an older dog, they’re done growing so what you see is what you get.
2. They already have distinct personalities. If you want a yappy, bouncy dog you can find one. If you want a dog that wants nothing more than to lie on the couch, bingo, ask a shelter and you’ll find him. If taking long walks in the woods is more your style adopt an athletic older dog.
3. If you like your toilet paper on the roll and not on the floor and if you like to walk next to your bed and not worry about your toes getting clawed, an older cat — while still playful — has likely outgrown the toilet-paper-shredding-toe-grabbing phase.
4. If dogs feel gratitude, and I believe they do, the love and hope you see in the eyes of an older dog you’re saving from a shelter will melt your heart every time. These dogs and cats and ferrets and guinea pigs just seem to know you have come to save them and offer them a better life and the gratitude shows in their every action.
5. Older pets are ideal for your older family members. My parents doted on their Chihuahua and he was the ideal dog for him and their lifestyle. They didn’t have to worry about a rambunctious puppy underfoot nor did they have to wonder how big he’d get. What they saw was what they got — it was a match made in heaven.

While older pets do have unique medical needs and may require additional care and medications, they are just amazing to bring into your household than a bouncy potentially shoe-chewing puppy! What do you love about your older pet?