Senior to Senior: Good Homes for Older Dogs and Cats

The Georgetown Animal Shelter sees a lot of broken hearts, and its usually older animals who, though they’ve lost their youthful appearance, still want nothing more than a family to love them.

Older animals are brought to the shelter for a variety of reasons, but they are much more likely to be passed over when a family comes in to look for a new pet. Most older animals would be happy to have a new home, yet many do not get readily adopted.

Senior to Senior Program -
Recognizing the need for older animals to find good homes, the City has started Senior to Senior. This program has two components. First, it allows senior citizens to adopt senior animals at no charge. Second, the program encourages seniors and non-seniors alike to consider older animals by educating the public of the benefits.

Often, people are looking for a calm pet, and senior animals just want a quiet home to spend their golden years and a warm lap and friendly face to love them back. Sun City residents and shelter volunteers, Curt and Mo R. (pictured above) adopted one such “senior” animal, Teddy, an Australian Cattle Dog.

“Teddy is just the perfect pet” says Curt, “he is my constant companion, and I can’t believe how much joy he has brought to our lives. My wife and I are crazy about him, and he seems as equally happy. “

Free Licenses -
The Shelter has another program for seniors - free pet licenses. If your pet is spayed or neutered and you are over 65, the shelter will give you your pet license for free (one license per senior).

Fostering -
Animal-lovers who are not able to take on a full-time commitment to a pet are encouraged to consider fostering an animal. A foster family can provide a good home to a dog or cat while they wait for a permanent family.

Volunteering -
If you’re not able to adopt a pet, but you still wish to help the animals at the shelter, there are numerous volunteer opportunities available. These opportunities vary from simple tasks such as walking the dogs on a leash, to spending time with the animals who are so often lonely in their cages. Volunteer orientations are generally the first Saturday of each month and are a great way to help homeless pets find good homes. For more information, visit our volunteer page.