Why is it a good idea for retirees or near-retirees to consider getting a pet as a companion?
Pets are the ultimate companions. As long as you aren’t adopting an energetic puppy, then most of your middle- to late-life furry friends will be happy to go on pleasant walks and lounge around with you all day. As I’ll expound upon in the next question, pets add to our retirement years lightness, love, companionship, and new opportunities to socialize.
Where should you consider getting your pet (e.g., an animal shelter, rescue, pet store, private breeder, etc.)?
There’s a massive pet population problem, and that means a lot of pets in shelters and rescues are euthanized if they aren’t adopted within a certain timeframe. If this bothers you, then always, always, always go to your local adoption shelter before a private breeder and make sure your pets are fixed. They deserve wonderful lives too, and you’ll both feel even closer.
What should you consider carefully or even avoid before committing to a new pet? What responsibilities and costs will be involved?
Remember that pets aren’t just there to entertain — they’re living things with needs. Make sure you’re giving them the happy life they deserve with regular walks, socialization with other pets, lots of love, and quarterly medical checkups. Pets can live for a really long time, so many people in retirement opt for mid-life to late-life pets so they can take care of them for the totality of their pet’s lifespan.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR YOUR FUR BABY
The RedRover Relief Urgent Care grant program provides financial assistance, resources, and emotional support for pet guardians struggling with economic hardship when pets are in life-threatening situations. The average grant is around $250, and is intended to fill a small gap in funding that is keeping an animal from care.APPLY HERE
Assistance Dog United Campaign
Assistance Dog United Campaign accepts applications for vouchers during the months of April and May. The recipients of a voucher will be able to use it towards the payment of an assistance dog from one of our provider programs. In each of the last three years, we have received well over 100 applications during the open application period.
Apply HERE
Specific pets/breeds do you recommend to retirees and why?
There are some great “companion” breeds of cats and dogs that are a good fit for people in retirement, primarily because they’re happy with mild exercise, lots of sun naps, and lots of love. For dogs, mellow breeds are often poodles, corgis, French bulldogs, and Scottish terriers. Adopting an older dog from a shelter is ideal — in many cases, you’re saving their lives and giving them a chance to feel love and happiness. For cats, British shorthair, Persian, and Ragdoll are common choices. But most cats are independent enough to be great retirement companions. Playing with them is often as simple as dangling a cat toy on a string and watching them go wild. If you aren’t quite as worried about companionship in the traditional sense, reptiles and fish can also make for great pets, but they still require the same amount of care!
What can you expect to pay for a pet?
If you’re looking at dogs and cats from shelters, then expect a range between free to $50 - $400. The best thing about shelters is that they already gave the pet a wellness exam, vaccinations, heartworm and fecal tests, flea and tick prevention, spaying and neutering, and sometimes even microchips. This saves weeks of costly vet visits. As for reptiles, the range can be around $15 to $200, with snakes sometimes costing more.
Emotional Support Animal
Psychiatric Service Dog
There must be a legitimate psychiatric reason (the disability) why an individual is in true need of an ESA/PSD, such as having a documented DSM-V mental or psychological disorder (e.g., generalized anxiety, panic attacks). To qualify for a disability. an individual must have some kind of functional impairment in one or more of the following major life activities: walking, concentrating, hearing, self-care, performing manual tasks, social interaction, sleeping, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working, etc.
Dr. Tasha's Training in Animal Assisted TherapyGraduate of Animals and Human Health program for Animal-Assisted Therapy. Denver Universtiy
2022- Law, Ethics and Criteria for ESA’s and Service Animals (TeleHealth Certification Institute)
