More and more Americans are adopting their pets. According to the national database of shelter animals, 1.9 million rescue animals were adopted in the first half of 2025. 991k dogs and 936k cats found their new forever homes thanks to wonderful humans who fell in love with their four-legged friends despite their physical health and other imperfections.
Still, some people prefer to shop instead of adopting. According to the American Veterinary Association, in 2022, 42% of dog owners and 43% of cat owners got their pets from a store. Also, 23% of owners got their dogs from breeders, but only 7% of cat owners have done the same. Millennials are also the generation with the most pets.
What about you, Pandas? Is your motto "Adopt, don't shop," or do you think that sometimes giving in to your obsession with a particular breed is okay?
Personally, I'm pro-adoption. Both cats that I've had found me through the cat distribution system (one crawled up my dad's leg and under his jacket when I was still a kid, and he had no other choice but to bring him home).
As for dogs, I've only had one from a breeder – my delightfully mischievous beagle. And as much as I loved having a super photogenic doggo and loved him with all my heart despite his impossible character, I've found that the hundreds of bucks we paid for him didn't really make him any better than the lonely souls at the shelter.
I've now had three dogs from the shelter, and one of them was an elder. It's generally harder for older shelter dogs to find their forever homes. The adoption rate for elders is only 25%, while it's 60% for younger dogs and puppies. But I'm here to tell you that giving a senior dog a loving home for the final years of their life can be just as meaningful (if not more) than adopting a shelter puppy into a forever home.
Experts at the Twin Pines Veterinary Clinic in Pennsylvania agree. They suggest five advantages of adopting a senior shelter dog:
- No size surprises. When you adopt a young dog, you never know how big they might get, especially if it's a mixed breed. With seniors, you essentially get what you see.
- They require less training. Unless it's a really problematic doggo, older pooches often have prior training and know basic commands like "Sit!" and "Stay!" and are most likely housebroken.
- Less energy. If you like dogs who are more like cats in regard to their energy reserve, older dogs might be perfect for you since they're calmer and more laid back.
Two more reasons to adopt an elderly shelter dog include:
- Short commitment. On the one hand, this is an advantage: an older dog won't be a lifelong commitment. On the other, you will likely lose your new pet sooner than you'd like, so be prepared for potential heartbreak (I'm speaking from personal experience here).
- Cuteness factor. It's not true that older dogs can't be cute. Sure, the gray around their eyes might indicate their age and they might lose the bounciness of young pups. But older dogs tend to be more affectionate, just wanting someone to care for them and love them.
But if none of these reasons convince you, consider this: older animals usually end their lives in shelters. "Open enrollment shelters, shelters that will take everything, run out of room, and often are euthanizing what they can't place," according to the Golden Oldies Cat Rescue. So, if not for their calmness and predictability, consider adopting or even fostering an elder pet to help shelters avoid overcrowding.
Elder cats in shelters experience similar injustices to dogs. Statistics show that in 2025, people adopted 6% more juvenile cats compared to the year before. As for adult and senior cats, the rate of adoption decreased by 7% for each. People often assume that older cats are mean, lack energy, and may have many health issues. But the experts at Purrfect Seniors would like to debunk those myths.
