Older pets and their struggle to find a forever home

Older and abnormal cats and dogs find difficulty when it comes to being adopted. The majority of people looking for a pet want a kitten or puppy.  Sadly the case for many cats and dogs is that they are abandoned when they are fully grown.

In most circumstances the cats and dogs become strays. Usually, they are picked up by the local SPCA but that is not always good news.

Most older cats and dogs or ones that suffer from abnormalities, such as missing an eye or being overweight. These animals can live at the SPCA for days, weeks, or months.

“Sometimes if they’re only missing one eye the sad story gets them adopted, but that’s usually not the case”, says Toni MacNeil, an employee at the SPCA in Sydney, Nova Scotia. 

Kittens and puppies are in such high demand that they are usually adopted in a matter of days. 

For dogs like Zack who was adopted at five years old had difficulty finding a home. Zack’s chronic arthritis caused him to lose the use of his back legs. His previous owners and being at the SPCA for two months caused Zack to develop extreme anxiety. However, Zack now has a forever home and with patience from his owners, Zack now has full mobility of his back legs.

“Well, you know when you see an animal that’s injured your heart really goes out to it. You feel like you can provide a nice home to that pet. So you try the best you can,” says Kevin Macdonald, a pet owner of four cats and a dog.

MacDonald adopted his family’s dog, Maggie, after finding out she was an older dog at the SPCA that was picked up off the streets after being a stray for one year. Thankfully, she was adopted because if not, Maggie, would have been put down by the SPCA since she was an older dog that suffered from anxiety.

Now that Maggie has a forever home, her anxiety has melted away. She now enjoys life with her owners and the cats she lives with.