Pioneers for Animal Welfare Society, Inc.

Our Seniors for Senior program does many wonderful things, one of which is we try to place senior animals who have lost their home due to the death or disability of their guardian who had no care plan in place for their companion (please see the tab on the home page “Estate Planning for your Pets”).  These senior animals usually go directly to a shelter where they have little chance of ever being adopted let alone not being euthanized immediately. They are discriminated against due to their age.  Not many people want an “old” animal.  What people do not see is the fact that this “old” animal has so much to offer.  He or she had once been a playful puppy or kitten who grew into its teenage years with adventure and curiosity, and then eased into the senior years and has provided companionship, security, devotion and unconditional love to its guardian. He or she is housebroken and trained, and a bit lazy at this point in life.   We think the best new home for such a loyal and wonderful, senior animal is to be adopted by a senior citizen.  Of course anyone who qualifies can adopt but it seems logical to place such an “old” soul with an “old” soul.  It is a symbiotic relationship which has proven to be beneficial to the senior citizen.  Studies have shown that pets play an important protective role in maintaining the owner’s health and well-being.  It is said that pet guardians (owners) have, lower blood pressure, less depression, lower stress levels, better mental health, better physical fitness, fewer general practitioner visits, higher survival rate one year post-coronary, lower healthcare expenditures and increased socialization. Animals can be instrumental in assisting a senior through the grieving process of losing a loved one.  Animals give their seniors a sense of responsibility, a reason to get out of bed (if one is needed) and they provide good old fashioned companionship.  PAWS has various programs which we are initiating or will be initiating to provide assistance to those Seniors who adopt these senior companions.

Imagine that you wake up one morning, and the person you love most in the world hugs your neck, waves a tearful good-bye, gets into a car and disappears down the road.  You worry because something in her voice was different this time, not like when she would drive to the grocery store only to return a couple of hours later with a bag of food for you.

This time, a lot of hours pass, and she doesn’t come back.  Someone you don’t know very well comes to the house to feed you dinner.  They say words you don’t understand the meaning of – nursing home, no other choice.

A day passes, and that same person comes back.  Only this time, he puts you in the back of his car and drives you to a place you’ve never been to before.

He gets you out of the car.  A nice lady walks up and tells him that older dogs don’t have a very good chance of getting adopted here.  You wonder what adopted is.  You hear the man tell the nice lady that his sister went to a nursing home and you belonged to her.  He can’t take care of you.  The nice lady looks sad.

The man gets in the car without you and drives off.

Another person you don’t know comes out and leads you to what looks like a cage with a concrete floor.  She puts you inside and closes the door.

There are a lot of dogs here, most of them younger than you.  You’re 10 – 70 in people years.  Some of the dogs are barking.  You hear the anxiousness in their barks, and you start to shake.  You wonder why the person you love went away, and what you did wrong to be left here.  ****Author Unknown****