The Advantages of Adopting an Older Pet

Are you considering adding a new furry family member to your ranks? Unless you have your heart set on a puppy or kitten, you may want to consider adopting an older pet. Here, a Thorold, ON veterinarian tells you about a few advantages of adopting older animals.

Since older pets have probably already lived with humans, they most likely won’t need to be taught how to act in a family household. Older pets probably already know not to go to the bathroom in the house, not to beg at the table, etc. You’ll save yourself time and trouble if an older pet is already properly socialized!

The bad behavior that is typical of young puppies and kittens most likely will not be something you’ll have to worry about with an older pet. While puppies chew up everything in sight and kittens can get into things they shouldn’t, older pets probably won’t have to be disciplined for such behaviors.

One of the biggest advantages of older pets is that they simply don’t have the endless energy of younger animals. If you’re not prepared to keep up with a rambunctious puppy or kitten 24 hours a day, you may want to consider adopting an older animal. Many older pets will be content to lay with you on the couch, go on leisurely walks, and go to bed early.

Everyone’s heard the old adage that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Older pets, too, can be trained to respond to commands. In fact, an older pet may be even easier to train simply because they have the attention span for it! In addition, a pet who has already lived with another family may come with some essential commands “built in.”

Your own commitment—and that of your family’s—is an important thing to consider when adopting a pet. If you adopt a puppy or kitten, you must be prepared for the time and financial commitment of a pet for at least the next 10 years, if not longer. If you aren’t prepared to devote that amount of time and energy to a young pet, don’t do the pet a disservice. Consider adopting an older animal instead.

Call your Thorold, ON veterinarian’s office to discover more reasons to adopt an older pet, and ask about shelters in your area.