CHHS executive director adopts senior animals to give a home in their final days
2021 began for Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society’s executive director David Stroud with nine senior pets at his house.
Though it was a heartbreaking year, Stroud said that he would do it all over again to have the days each senior brought into his family.
Stroud has written several columns for The Highlander about adopting senior pets, but with November being National Adopt a Senior Pet Month, he is calling out again to residents to adopt these pets.
“I always have a special place in my heart for the old ones, because they are harder to adopt,” Stroud said. “It’s kind of frustrating because, in a lot of ways, they are easier to manage. I also understand that some people want a puppy, and they want to have as much assurance as they can that they are going to have ten years or more with their pet.”
Stroud said there are several benefits to adopting a senior pet.
“One thing for sure is that they are easier and low on maintenance,” Stroud said. “Chances are, they already have some resemblance of training, litter box training or basic command training. They don’t require much exercise. So, unless you are a marathon runner or an athlete, they are very easy going. They also adapt very easily to peoples’ household habits. When you go to bed, they go to bed. They are very grateful. It seems like, for these older pets, that they know when they have been rescued. They come from some really bad places, and they are just so grateful that they have found their forever home.”
One common opinion about elder pets, and shelter pets in general that Stroud said is a misconception is that they are in a shelter because they were bad in their previous homes.
“It is a myth. That’s just what it is,” Stroud said. “That doesn’t apply just to seniors. I’ve heard several people make the blanket statement, ‘That dog is in a shelter. What is wrong with it?’ That’s a very false notion to start with. Many seniors that we get, we get them because their owners are taken to a nursing home and aren’t allowed to keep them. There’s nothing wrong with the pet. In fact, the pet has enjoyed a lifetime of human interaction from the owner, but the human’s health was failing. I think for a lot of people, it comes down to life expectancy. You consult your veterinarian about how long this elder pet will last and they say they don’t know. The life expectancy for a large breed dog is usually 10 to 12 years long. Well, we have two dogs here that are already 10 years old. So, when somebody asks how long they have, we just don’t know. For some people, the heartache of saying goodbye to a pet is so devastating, they just don’t want to get into a relationship and know that that is right around the corner, and I totally understand that.”
If someone decides to adopt a senior pet, Stroud said there are several ways to keep the pet comfortable.
“There have been so many advances in veterinary medicine that will not only keep them comfortable, but will give them a longer and happy life,” Stroud said. “One example is that I have all larger breed senior dogs and they are all on glucosamine supplements, which helps with things like hip dysplasia or arthritis, which seem to plague a lot of large breed older dogs. There are great products out there to enhance their quality of life. I will say that towards the end of a senior pet’s normal life, it is fair to say, that folks will experience some higher-than-average veterinary bills. People that go into a situation where they want to adopt a senior pet, they have to know that they will need to be able to provide veterinary care.”
Some things that Stroud does at CHHS to get as many senior pets adopted are promotions, outreach and columns in the local newspapers.
“We do a lot of promotions throughout November with Adopt a Senior Pet Month,” Stroud said. “We offer a reduced adoption price, which is $50 for all of our seniors. We try to get a little more creative with how we try to promote the message for these animals. I also write a column for the papers, and we have six senior pets and all of them have been in the paper this month. We hope that it resonates with some of our adopters.”
For more information about adopting a senior or shelter pet, visit chhumanesociety.org or call 828-743-5752.
- By Christopher Smith