SAN DIEGOSAN DIEGO — November is National Adopt a Senior Pet Month and to honor the tradition, the San Diego Humane Society is reducing its adoption fees for senior dogs and cats by 50 percent.
Senior dogs and cats — those 7 years of age and older — are normally $30 to adopt, but in November the cost is $15.
By comparison, the costs to adopt an adult cat is $65 and an adult dog is $100. Kittens are $130 and puppies $200 to adopt. Other animals available at the Humane Society include rabbits, Guinea pigs, chinchillas, large birds and reptiles (each $30 to adopt) and small birds, mice, rats and hamsters (each $10 to adopt).
Adopting a senior animal is a “very good deed,” says Dr. Gary Weitzman, president and CEO of the San Diego Humane Society.
The Humane Society said that reasons to adopt a senior pet include the ease of training as senior animals focus better and catch on faster and many of them are already trained. They typically settle into a new home and adapt more quickly to different surroundings than younger pets.
The group’s campuses in El Cajon, Escondido, San Diego and Oceanside are open for walk-in adoptions from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. To view animals currently available for adoption, visit sdhumane.org/adopt
The San Diego Humane Society is also recruiting volunteers willing to foster animals for 30 to 90 days at a time. The group is “experiencing a shortage of foster parents willing to commit to volunteer opportunities that could last for up to 3 months,” said Humane Society spokesperson Nina Thompson.
Among the group’s many foster options is the Safety Net Foster Program aimed at keeping pet owners who run into temporary hardships — such as evictions and domestic violence situations — from being forced to relinquish their animals. By offering a foster solution, the pet does not have to enter the shelter system and is able return to their family at a later time.
Thompson said the group also needs volunteers who can foster large dogs, mother dogs with puppies, and pets with medical and behavior needs. Foster volunteers are ed by San Diego Humane Society staff who can answer questions, and provide resources and veterinary services.
To learn more about becoming a foster volunteer visit sdhumane.org/foster
