Senior-For-Senior Adoption Programs: Pets for the Elderly, Muttville, ASPCA

Most adoption fees in the United States run between 150 and 600 dollars for a dog and 75 and 250 dollars for a cat. For a retired person on a fixed income, that upfront cost can be the single reason a pet stays in a kennel and a senior keeps living alone. A small set of national and regional programs solves the problem by pairing two underserved groups: senior people who want a companion, and senior pets who are passed over in shelters because they are gray on the muzzle or have a chronic condition.

Three programs lead the field. Pets for the Elderly Foundation, based in Cleveland Ohio, partners with more than 50 shelters in over 35 states and pays the adoption fee for anyone age 60 or older. The senior pays nothing for the adoption itself. The Foundation has placed more than 110,000 pets since 1992. The full list of partner shelters lives at petsfortheelderly.org. Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, based in San Francisco, runs a Seniors for Seniors program that waives the adoption fee entirely for adopters age 62 and up who take home a dog age seven or older. Muttville also delivers within the Bay Area and provides a starter kit of food, a leash, and a vet referral. Their site is muttville.org. The ASPCA in New York City runs a Seniors for Seniors program in its Manhattan adoption center for adopters age 65 plus and cats age seven plus, at zero fee. Many regional shelters run the same model under names like Silver Whiskers, Golden Years, Forever Friends, or Senior Connection. A quick way to find one nearby is to open petfinder.com or adoptapet.com, set the location filter, set the age filter to senior, and call the listed shelter to ask about senior adopter discounts.

The programs exist because senior pets are the hardest to place. A seven-year-old cat or a nine-year-old small dog often waits months for a home while puppies and kittens are picked the same day. Shelters know that a senior adopter, who is often home most of the day and not looking for a hiking buddy, is the right match. The math also works for the adopter. A senior pet is past the chewing, training, and high-energy years. Most are already housebroken, neutered or spayed, vaccinated, and microchipped. Many partner shelters include a free first vet visit. Source pages include petsfortheelderly.org, muttville.org, aspca.org, petfinder.com, and adoptapet.com.