November rings in Senior Pet Month and as the guardian of a mature dog myself (next month Kaya will be 15 years old), I can personally vouch for the wonderful companionship they offer. In recognition of their golden years, I’d like to send out an appeal to those who are considering adding a pet to your household mix – please consider a senior! The following outlines sound reasoning for choosing a senior over a younger dog: 


1.    What you see is what you get., i.e., they’re already full grown, so you’ll know their maximum size; you’ll also be able to see their personality and behaviour.
2.    Older dogs are usually calmer, requiring less exercise than a rambunctious puppy or adolescent dog.
3.    They come trained and used to living in a household (this can be a blessing especially if living in a condo complex or tower where housetraining a puppy could be a logistical nightmare).  
4.    They have most likely already been spayed or neutered.

Although I have never been able to grasp how people can surrender their aging pals to an animal shelter after spending years together (it would be like giving up a child for possible euthanizing), their loss is your gain. It’s often been said that animals that are rescued exude gratitude and love that words alone can’t express, so why not choose to be a recipient of that devotion? To get started, you might want to consider a visit to Petfinder.com, choose "senior" in the search field, put in your area/postal code, search, and you’ll see lots of adoptable senior dogs appear. You’ll be able to view an image(s) and read a short write-up on each dog’s history, personality and ideal adoption scenario. Or, alternatively, drop down to your local animal shelter to visit your prospective goldie-oldie firsthand.