The Central Pennsylvania Humane Society and Petfinder are celebrating November as “Adopt a Senior Pet” month.

“Older pets make great companions” says Dave Hopkins, CPHS Director of Public Relations. “They love you unconditionally and are already “people friendly” and mostly trained by the time they become “seniors.”

Some prospective senior pet owners worry that older animals may come with inherent problems whether health or behavior related but that’s not always the case. Many older pets have arrived at shelters totally unrelated to their condition.

“In a lot of cases, we get senior animals because their owners have died or can no longer care for them. The pet still has a lot of life left and tons of love and dedication to give….and they just need a chance to prove it in a new, loving home.”

CPHS has a program aimed specifically at matching older pets with older owners.

It’s called “Seniors for Seniors” and under the provisions, animals that are 7 years or older can be adopted by people who are 60 or older at no charge.

“We’ve made dozens of happy “matches” between “seniors” in the past few years since we initiated the program and we’re proud to offer it” says Hopkins.

The shelter also encourages people of all ages to adopt older animals even if they don’t qualify for the free match.

For more information about older pets at the CPHS shelter, check the website (www.centralpahumanesociety.org) and for additional information on older pets, try www.HSUS.org (Humane Society of the United States).

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