Second Chance: November, Adopt a Senior Pet Month

19 Nov Second Chance: November, Adopt a Senior Pet Month

November Is Adopt-A-Senior-Pet Month. As one of the more mature residents at SCHS, I would like to tell you all the great reasons everyone should consider giving a senior like me a home.

Jenny Lee

I am JennyLee and while a spry 5 years young, you might think I was 15 the way people walk right past my kennel to go fawn over those puppies. Now, I agree puppies need homes too, and our community has been awesome about considering and adopting adult pets, but more education as to the benefits of taking mature pets like me home with you needs to get out there.

While I am too much of a lady to brag, I have to say I am one of the quietest, calmest, well-behaved pups at Second Chance right now. I am a yellow Lab and of course that may contribute to why I am a loyal and loving dog, but maturity plays a part in that as well. Kodiac the Kat can tell you all about the benefits of maturity.

I am Kodiac, the true Senior living at the shelter right now. I am 10-year- old with a distinguished soft white coat. I am a nice mellow old dude and, as with most seniors, what you see is what you get. My family moved to California last year and could not take me with them. I would really love to have a family to call my own as I live out my later years.

As with most pets my age, I am not a bother at all, I use my litter box and get along well with furry and non-furry beings. I love good lap time, soft spots in the sun, and lots of petting around the ears. They say I could lose a few pounds, but hey, at 10 I am not going to take up CrossFit…

Kodiac

Below are the Top 5 reasons to adopt an older pet: 

Easy Peasy:  Think you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Hogwash! Older dogs are great at focusing on you and the task at hand because we are calmer than youngsters. Plus, all those years of experience reading humans helps us quickly figure out how to do what you’re asking.

Low Maintenance: Grownup pets don’t require the constant monitoring puppies and kittens do, leaving you with more freedom to do your own thing. If you have young children, or just value “me time,” that is definitely a bonus.

Adaptive: Older dogs and cats have been around the block and already learned what it takes to get along with others and become part of a pack. We’ll be part of the family in no time!

Easy Livin’: Couch potato, know thyself! A canine retiree, although still needing daily exercise, doesn’t need to run a daily marathon.

Be a Hero: At shelters, older dogs and cats are often the last to be adopted and saving an animal’s life offers an unparalleled emotional return on your investment that you will enjoy every day you spend together.

Editor’s note: It’s no secret. The Telluride region is dog heaven. Well, pet heaven. Unless you are one of our furry friends who gets caught in the maw of neglect and abuse. Then heaven is on hold until Second Chance Humane Society comes to the rescue. Second Chance is the region’s nonprofit dedicated to saving animals’ lives and promoting responsible pet parenting and human-animal bond. In her weekly blog, executive director Kelly Goodin profiles at least one, generally two of the many animals now living at the no-kill shelter, Angel Ridge Shelter, a dog and a cat, hoping to find them loving permanent homes. The column is sponsored by Ted Hoff of Cottonwood Ranch & Kennel, who from time to time exercises his skills as a dog whisperer, partnering with Kelly and her staff to help train a particularly challenging animal.

Ted Hoff & Mae

By the by, there is no better place to park your pup than Cottonwood whenever you head out of town (for locals) or are heading to town and staying somewhere that does not allow pets. Consider joining Ted’s Very Important Dog (VID) Club for added benies. (Details on Ted’s website.)