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Departments |
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When Pets Can't
Go: Seniors and Residential Care
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When a senior must move to a care facility,
worry about what will happen to beloved pets is
often their biggest concern.
Long term care facilities - assisted living
residences and nursing homes, as well as some
smaller personal care homes - can't always
accommodate a senior's pets. While some nursing
homes have a "resident dog" or birds, most
nursing home residents are no longer able to
provide care to their pets. Nursing home staff
obviously can't be asked to walk, feed or groom
pets.
Some assisted living residences will permit
small pets so long as the resident is able to
independently care for the pet. When that is no
longer possible, then the pets usually will have
to find a new home.
When a pet can't go, of course the best answer
would be to find a close relative or friend who
is willing to adopt the pet and bring the pet to
visit regularly. This is often a pie-in-the-sky
solution offered by pie-in-the-sky advice
givers. Finding a relative or friend to take
pets is more often than not unrealistic for a
host of reasons.
If family and friends can't take a senior's pet
in, there are other resources:
If a dog or a cat is purebred, the local breed
club will often be able to find the animal a
good new home. Search for "breed" + rescue or
"breed" + club with the pet's city and state to
see local options for adoptions or foster care.
Most rescue organizations will make arrangements
to pick up the pet, which can be enormously
helpful.
A great many of our pets are far from purebred.
A "domestic shorthair cat" will not qualify for
membership in any registered breed association.
If you are trying to find a home for a mixture,
you may have success with
Petfinder, where you can list pets
available for adoption.
While you are checking out these resources, also
contact the veterinarian who regularly cares for
these pets. The vet may be willing to post a
notice or refer you to someone who is looking
for a new animal to adopt.
Until you have completely exhausted all the
other options for finding a new home for your
senior's pets, please don't turn to your local
animal shelter. Unless it is a "no-kill"
shelter, most city and county shelters have room
to keep an animal only a few days before it must
be euthanized.
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