Imagine growing old…and being left behind: Adopt a Senior Pet Month

After years of waiting, warmth finally feels like home.

November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month, a time to honor the dogs and cats who have already given years of love, yet are now the ones most likely to be forgotten.

Take Fiona’s story, a 13-year-old dog who spent 11 long years in an Alabama shelter before finally being adopted by a loving family in Wisconsin. 

After a lifetime of concrete floors and metal bars, she now has her own bed, warm meals, and people who greet her every morning.

Most senior dogs and cats never get that second chance. 

But this month, we can change that, together.

Time has slowed them down, but their hearts are still full.

Here are five meaningful ways to celebrate Adopt a Senior Pet Month and make a lasting difference for dogs and cats who deserve peace, comfort, and love in their final years:

1. Help a senior dog or cat find a home again

Every adoption of an older animal saves a life that would otherwise fade behind shelter walls. 

Seniors are calmer, already trained, and eager to belong. 

Giving one a home is a partnership filled with gratitude and quiet joy that words cannot capture.

One story can open a heart to adopt another.

2. Share the story of a rescued senior

Share an adoption story that touched your heart — whether it is your own or one you have seen.

When people hear about a senior companion animal’s second chance, it can change how they see older animals.

Your story might be the reason another dog or cat gets adopted.

Small comforts remind them they are not forgotten.

3. Visit your local shelter with comfort in mind

Bringing soft blankets, treats, or just your gentle voice can mean the world to an older dog or cat. 

Seniors often spend long, lonely days watching people walk past. 

A calm visit can ease their fear and remind them they still matter.

Compassion brings relief to those waiting for a home.

4. Sponsor a “second chance” for a senior

Some older dogs and cats are too fragile to be adopted quickly. 

Sponsoring food, medicine, or even a warm bed helps them stay safe while they wait. 

Your support gives them comfort instead of cold, and dignity instead of fear.

5. Help us build a future where no dog grows old on the streets

Each senior we help today is one more life given safety, comfort, and care in their final years. 

Some were once loved and lost, while others never had a home at all. 

By standing with them, we are also fighting the root cause of their suffering — the endless cycle of overpopulation.

Too many seniors live their final days alone outside.

The world's 600 million stray dogs and 87 million stray cats give birth to over 1 billion homeless puppies and kittens every year. 

Tragically, those who survive also reproduce, creating another generation of homeless strays and repeating the cycle of suffering year after year.

This is why our mission is to end the #1 cause of suffering and death for dogs and cats — overpopulation — by developing a permanent-lasting birth control cookie that will only need to be eaten one time, and it will in effect spay or neuter — without surgery.

Ending overpopulation ends this endless suffering.

With your help, we will end this suffering.

Please join us.

Yes, I Want to Help End the Suffering!

Thank you very much for helping and for caring.

---

Sources:

[1] People