Animalwelfareleague

Senior to Senior Program

Pet overpopulation continues to be a serious problem. Thousands of healthy, friendly, adoptable animals are euthanized every year because no one steps forward to adopt them. Animals five years and older have a difficult time competing against younger pets for available homes.

Senior Citizens can save a life by adopting a mature pet, yet pets can also help senior citizens in numerous ways. They can provide unconditional love, companionship, and a reason to get out and walk (even if it's just a short one). Studies have shown that the simple act of petting a dog or cat can reduce blood pressure and stress levels while improving mental health. The company of a beloved pet has been proven to reduce depression in the elderly, often delaying the onset of confusion and reducing the length of the average hospital stay.

Mature pets are especially suited for senior citizens because they are generally calmer, more even-tempered, require less vigorous exercise, and often already have been trained in important issues like housebreaking and litter box use.  Both the human and the pet need someone in their lives, and often the best decision is to put these two seniors together.

Puppies are darling and so much fun to watch at play, but they are also a lot of work.

The senior, if given love and caring, can make the change to a new home with few problems. Some people may be concerned about the shorter life-span of an older animal, but "it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all."

If you are considering a mature pet, plan ahead before bringing the pet home. Look around your home and make it as pet-proof as possible. Put water and food dishes where they will be easy to find. Be sure to continue with the same food that the pet has been eating. It would also be a good idea to put your pet on bottled water until it has settled in its new home. Any change in food or water can cause diarrhea.

"The caring person who can see past a gray muzzle could reap the benefits of years of love and companionship."

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PROGRAM BENEFITS

The “Seniors for Seniors” program offers the following benefits to the adopter:

If you become unable to take care of your pet, you or a family member may return the pet. It will then, if possible, be placed into another home.

Donations allow us to reduce the adoption fee for animals in this program. Each pet will be neutered, vaccinated, treated for fleas/parasites and provided with 30 days free pet insurance and a bag of food.  Dogs will be micro-chipped.

If you are a good candidate for one of our pets but don’t drive, a volunteer can come to your home with information on available pets and a pet can be delivered to your home.

The AWL may also be able to assist with temporary pet care if the owner is ill or incapacitated.

prOGRAM dETAILS

All animals ages 5 or over may be listed as candidates for our Senior-to Senior-Program. Any animal at 4 years old will be evaluated on an individual basis. Our Senior-to-Senior Program is simple:

1. If you are a senior citizen, aged 60 or over, you qualify for the program.  (Proof of age, i.e. Driver’s license or some other photo id would be required.)  There would be a separate application form. Participation is voluntary, we just want to give our senior citizens and senior animals a chance for adoption.

2. If the animal is 5 or over years old, it qualifies for the program. Any animal at 4 years old will be evaluated on an individual basis.

3. The program is simple. If you and the animal you wish to adopt, meet the requirements of steps 1 and 2, you may choose to participate in the reduced adoption fee program.

4. Adoption fees for cats in this program will be $35 and adoption fees for dogs in this program will be $75. An evaluation will be done with local veterinarians to see if the animal should be spayed or neutered, if not already done so. If the animal can be safely altered, it will be done.