Senior Pets Offer Companionship for Older Adults

By Breeana Greenberg

For older adults looking to bring a companion pet into their lives, senior pets can be a great match to their lifestyle, offering a mutually beneficial relationship for both the seniors and senior pets.

Senior pets are often overlooked by younger families looking for a more active pet, says Animal Services Supervisor Jennifer Stinett of the Coastal Animal Services Authority, which oversees the San Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter.

As older pets tend to match the activity levels of their senior adopters, it’s a natural fit, Stinett adds.

Pet Project Foundation Board Chair Stephanie Cocumelli echoed that sentiment, explaining that it’s all about finding the right match between adopter and pet.

“What we’ve seen, what I’ve seen personally at the shelter, is that some of our seniors who are either alone or aren’t super active, they want that companionship, and when we have it here and when you see the match, there’s just such joy,” Cocumelli says.

Pet Project Foundation, a nonprofit, is the rescue partner for the local animal shelter.

“I remember a couple months back, we had an older woman who was assisted by a walker, and her son brought her in, and they wanted to see cats, and she ended up really falling for one of our older cats who was a little bit quieter and just wanted to be held and loved and played with,” Cocumelli recalls.

Cocumelli adds that it was rewarding to see the joy in the older cat as it was adopted and the older woman looking for a new companion.

Through Pet Project Foundation, all the senior animals at the San Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter receive all the care they need from a veterinarian, as the foundation works to decrease the financial burden of adopting an older dog.

“It decreases the burden, but it also creates a comfort level that even though you’re getting an animal that’s been with us on this Earth for a little bit of time, you’re getting one that its health concerns have been met,” Cocumelli says.

For those concerned about their mobility to meet a pet’s needs, such as bending down to clean a litter box, Cocumelli explains that there are lots of products available to help, and the Pet Project Foundation is happy to make recommendations.

“We can definitely assist with making recommendations that would get them around those hurdles,” Stinett says.

The Laguna Beach-based nonprofit Unconditional works to get senior and special needs dogs adopted. The often-overlooked population is much less likely to get adopted than younger pets, Unconditional co-founder Amy Mack explains.

“My husband and I started Unconditional a few years ago, because we personally had always adopted senior and special needs dogs and saw some statistics that basically showed how big the problem was becoming in our local shelter,” Mack says.

In many shelters, it’s harder for senior and special needs dogs to compete with younger dogs for attention, so the nonprofit partners with shelters to highlight the personalities of older and disabled dogs.

“You’re looking for someone to fit into your lifestyle, and it can be really hard to determine that with the current technology that’s really available to people,” Mack says. “So, we’ve had people come to us and say, ‘Hey, I really want to adopt. I’d love to get a senior; I’m a senior, but I just don’t really know how to find the right dog.’”

“And so, we’ve actually, through a quick interview, consultative process, we’ve been able to talk to them a little bit about what their lifestyle’s like, what kind of dog they’d be looking for, and there’s an abundance of senior dogs out there, so we’ve been able to make some really great matches,” Mack adds.

Mack says that senior dogs are a great match for various demographics, not just for older adopters. For example, Mack notes that a senior pet might be a great match for a younger professional who doesn’t have time to house-train or handle the energy and exercise requirements of a younger pet.

“We’re trying to broaden people’s minds to the fact that senior dogs are great pets for so many people,” Mack says. “A lot of times, senior dogs are already house-trained or have some level of training.”

There’s often the misnomer that older dogs will be sad or come from a rough background, but Mack emphasizes that dogs are resilient.

“The truth is, they are the happiest dogs ever if given the opportunity,” Mack says. “Having a senior and special needs dog has been just the absolute best. It’s so rewarding; they’re so grateful. They’re happy to be here.”

Stinett adds that older adults in the community would benefit greatly from the companionship of senior pets.

“And for those that can’t adopt, we have a senior reading program now, so every month we have a day set aside, an afternoon for our senior community to sign up to come and read to all of our pets,” Stinett says.

Cocumelli adds that Pet Project Foundation is there to meet the needs of the community and facilitate finding the right match between an adopter and pet.

“When you see the face of the animal and the adopter, there’s no question why it’s a great thing, and we’re here to see that that happens as often as possible,” Cocumelli says.

Guest

Dr. James La Jevic D.M.D. is a former full-time professor of prosthetics at the prestigious University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. In 1982 he founded BioMark Dental Implants, the first all-inclusive implant center in the US. Later in 2015 he earned a national award for “Outstanding Lifetime Service” before establishing Correct Choice Dental Group in Encinitas