With shelters at full capacity, adopting a senior animal is a great reward

Milwaukee’s short summer season brings out our best assets, from live music festivals to a beautiful network of parks offering summer activities like tennis, golf and hiking.

But summer is also peak season for the city’s animal shelters. Warmer months bring new litters of animals, often filling shelters beyond capacity and forcing them to find short-term foster care. At any given time, according to the Wisconsin Humane Society (WHS), between 10 and 15 percent of its animals eligible for adoption are senior animals — a group that is also the hardest to place.

Potential adopters tend to gravitate towards younger animals and ignore older animals because of their age or possible medical expenses, says Angela Speed, vice president of communications for WHS.

“So far this calendar year in 2022, we’ve adopted somewhere between 400 and 500 senior pets. That includes cats and dogs, and that senior age is usually around seven years or older,” he said. she said, “It’s so rewarding to have a pet in its golden years and to be able to give it the best possible life. And you save a life.”

In this week’s “Uniquely Milwaukee” episode, we continue our conversation with Speed ​​to understand the breadth of need, the distinct and rewarding opportunities senior pets provide, and how you can join the WHS Foster Program. to provide temporary homes for animals in need.

Next, we speak with Bjorn Nasett, who you might know as Miss BJ Daniels – an iconic Milwaukee drag performer who opened his home to over 20 dogs in as many years. He invites us to Riverwest to meet his family of five dogs – each in their golden years – and shares his experience in partnership with Albert’s Dog Lounge Dog Rescue.

Listen to “Adopting and Fostering Senior Animals Offers a Particularly Pleasant Reward” on Spreaker.

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