5 Reasons to Adopt a Senior Dog

About Brookdale Senior Living

Brookdale Senior Living offers multiple care levels for seniors in more than 600 communities nationwide. Brookdale helps you find the right care plan for yourself or your loved one. With amenities such as transportation services, salons and private dining rooms and activities such as gardening, fitness classes and trivia nights Brookdale caters to a wide range of interests and needs.

Peanut butter and jelly, chicken and waffles, burgers and fries: Some things just go together. Senior dogs and senior owners are often like that, too. Read below to learn the reasons why a senior dog can be considered an “older man’s best friend.”

1. Senior dogs are less likely to be adopted.

According to the ASPCA®, 60% of all puppies and younger dogs are adopted; but did you know that only about 25% of senior dogs find a forever home? Many senior dogs are housed in everyday county shelters, competing with bright-eyed, bushy-tailed puppies for the opportunity to find a place in a forever home. The lucky dogs, however, can usually be found in places that partner with organizations like Pets for the Elderly or the North Shore Animal League America’s Seniors for Seniors^®program. Organizations like these specialize in matching senior dogs with loving senior homes, and many times they even offer post-adoption support services such as veterinary appointments, retention assistance, food-shortage support and more.

2. Senior dogs can be less work.

Want a dog, but don’t want to have to train it? Try adopting a senior dog! There’s a good chance your senior dog will have learned the basics from previous owners — meaning you may be able to skip out on buying puppy pads, since your senior dog will likely already be house-trained. And don’t worry about hiding your slippers: Most senior dogs have likely long outgrown the destructive separation-anxiety phase many pups experience. Plus, like their human counterparts, senior dogs are often less active than younger dogs and need more rest. While dogs typically need somewhere between 30 minutes and two hours of activity each day, senior dogs are generally encouraged to take shorter, more frequent walks at intervals — such as 10 to 15 minutes early in the day, 10 minutes in the afternoon and 20 to 30 minutes each evening — leaving them even more time to spend snuggling with their owners.

3. Having a pet is good for your heart health.

It’s no secret that pets may able to help to make us happier, less lonely and less stressed. But a furry friend isn’t just good for your psyche, it may be great for your heart health, too! According to one study published by the American Heart Association®, pet owners have been found to have lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and may be less likely to be obese. The study even indicated that dog ownership could positively impact the owner’s blood pressure in as little as two months. And within six months, the study indicated, it could be possible for new dog owners to have a significantly diminished physical response to mental stress.

4. Adoption fees are often waived.

Not only does adopting a senior dog pay off — sometimes, it actually pays! To help senior dogs find their forever homes, many animal adoption agencies and shelters offer financial incentives. These incentives may include waived adoption fees and pre-adoption exam charges, free spaying, free neutering, and discounts on products and services such as flea and tick preventatives, diagnostic tests and medical procedures.

5. Old dogs can learn new tricks.

You may have heard the saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks — but that couldn’t be further from the truth! Like older humans’ brains, at least one study has examined that older dogs’ brains also still have neuroplasticity as well, allowing them to continue learning new things and adapting to new environments. This means that a new home can help provide the perfect opportunity to stimulate your senior dog’s brain, letting the two of you learn new things together and bond while doing it.

Learn more about how a new pet can help give you a new “leash” on life.