Purina’s Pets for Seniors

The Animal Humane Society offers adopters age 60 or older an opportunity to adopt an adult cat or dog at a discounted rate through Purina’s Pets for Seniors program.

This initiative supports well-documented research that illustrates numerous health benefits of pet ownership, especially among senior citizens. Studies have shown that independently living seniors who own pets tend to have better physical and mental well-being than those who do not own a pet.

How Pets for Seniors works:

Seniors 60 years of age or older may adopt a cat or dog three years or older and receive a $50 discount on the adoption fee. Some restrictions do apply and a limited number of applications are available each month. Contact one of the Animal Humane Society’s five locations in Buffalo, Coon Rapids, Golden Valley, St. Paul and Woodbury for more information.  All cats and dogs are spayed or neutered, microchipped and vaccinated prior to adoption.

Benefits of Pets for Seniors:

• Independently living seniors that have pets tend to have better physical health and mental well-being than those that do not. (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, May 1999)
• Elderly people with pets are better able to remain emotionally stable during a crisis than those without. (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, May 1999)
• Seniors who own dogs go to the doctor less often than those who do not. (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1990)
• People who own pets can have significantly lower systolic blood pressure and cholesterol levels than those who do not. (American Journal of Cardiology, 1995)
• Pets help to fight depression and loneliness, promoting an interest in life and helping seniors stick to a regular daily routine. (Between Pets and People: The Importance of Animal Companionship)
• Pets help to lower health care costs. People with pets actually make fewer doctor visits, especially for non-serious medical conditions. (National Institute of Health Technology Assessment Workshop: Health Benefits of Pets)