With their specks of grey fur, a wobbly walk and a penchant for stubbornness, senior pets are oh-so-charming. Sadly, senior pets in a shelter environment are often overlooked in favour of puppies and kittens. Here we share seven reasons why you should consider adopting a senior pet.

Senior pets are older and wiser
While many people believe that older pets wind up in an animal shelter because of behaviour problems, most of the time it isn’t the fault of the animal at all.

Common reasons why adult or senior pets are given up include their owner has sadly passed away or moved overseas, the loss of a job, or a family member developing allergies. Well-trained and wellbehaved pets find themselves up for adoption all the time.

When you adopt a senior pet you may find yourself with a pretrained pet who already knows basic obedience. Senior pets are usually toilet-trained, for example. There may be the occasional accident as your pet adjusts to a new home, but most of the work has already been done.