Find your perfect pup with more than 1,500 pets hoping to find a forever home before the holidays - with a focus on golden oldies.
If you’ve been waiting for the right furry family member to trot into your life, you might just find your perfect match this week during a marathon adoption event happening all over Canada.
That’s right - PetSmart Charities National Adoption Week is back! This year’s event - from November 8 - 14 - falls on Adopt a Senior Pet Month, so a special focus will be on finding some homes for hundreds of adorable golden oldies.
The pet store chain opens up its doors during National Adoption Week to thousands of local animal welfare organizations to connect adoptable pets with potential adopters.
This year’s event is hoping to rehome more than 1,500 pets across Canada.
But while puppies and kittens usually steal the limelight when it comes to choosing a new pet, this year PetSmart is turning the focus to senior pets, who are often overlooked by their younger counterparts.
Misconceptions such as seniors being associated with behavioural problems are often reasons why older pets may not find a home as easily as a puppy or kitten.
However it’s more often the case that a senior pet was a companion of an elderly person who passed away or could no longer take care of them, or they belonged to someone who struggled financially and wanted to give their pet the best life possible with a new home.
Sadly, senior pets can unfairly be deemed as “unadoptable” and spend the longest time in shelters.
Older pets actually offer a variety of benefits for their new owners - from coming already potty-trained to having mastered regular commands such as ‘sit’, ‘stay’, ‘come’ and ‘down’. They can also learn new tricks too!
Not only that, but senior pets provide companionship and improve loneliness, especially in times of social isolation for elderly people and can help ease anxiety for people of all ages.
Aimee Gilbreath, President of PetSmart Charities, said: “Puppies and kittens are cute - but require a lot of care and attention. Senior pets have so much love to give, and their calm, gentle demeanours make them ideal matches for many households.
“National Adoption Week is the perfect time to head to a local PetSmart store and meet some older pets. Your carpets and furniture will thank you, too.”
So why not head down to your local PetSmart store this week to see if you can help make a senior’s golden years loving and shelter-free.