Why You Should Adopt a Senior Pet

By Eva Ternovska

When adopting a dog, puppies are often people’s first choice. Senior pets are usually overlooked in shelters, but these sweet dogs are just as great to adopt as puppies. Here are 6 reasons why you should adopt a senior pet

Senior pets are in need of loving families too.

Senior pets are the least likely dogs to be adopted at shelters. Many people overlook them due to their age or preference to adopt puppies or juvenile dogs. Sadly, senior pets are also more likely to be euthanized than puppies. By adopting an older dog, you’ll be potentially saving a life as well as a grateful and loyal companion.

2. Laid back personalities.

Many senior dogs are content to spend their days lazing around and snoozing by your feet. Of course you’ll need to give them exercise, but they require much less than puppies. If you’re a laid back person with a love for relaxing, a senior dog is the perfect companion for you.

3. Less likely needed to be trained

Many senior dogs have already been trained because odds are, they’ve already lived in a house before. This means that they are most likely house broken, socialized, and can respond to basic commands. They’ll adapt to life in your house more quickly than a puppy would, and they won’t come with destructive behaviors such as furniture chewing. If you don’t want to go through the lengthy time of teaching your puppy how to behave themselves, consider getting a senior dog.

4. You CAN teach them new tricks

“Old dogs can’t learn new tricks” is a phrase that can’t be further from the truth. Old dogs can learn new things. If you want to teach a senior dog how to roll over, you can still do it with time and effort! Senior dogs will be calmer, making them potentially easier to train.

5. “What you see is what you get”

Senior dogs have set personalities and bodies. When you first meet a senior dog, you’ll be seeing them as they are permanently. You will instantly know their grooming requirements, preferred diet, and size/weight. With a puppy, on the other hand, their personality, needs, and preferences can completely change over time, making it harder to prepare for the future.