It is hard to believe the holidays are here! The Homeward Pet Staff and volunteers are all prepped and ready to roll with our Holiday Giving Tree. If you or your organization are interested in helping the homeless dogs and cats that count on Homeward Pet, consider providing a Holiday Giving Tree option for your employees and guests.
Thank you to VCA Sno-Wood Animal Hospital, and a generous donor, for sponsoring our ‘Oldies But Goodies’ during November’s Adopt a Senior Pet Month. With their support, and caring adopters willing to open their homes to a wonderful older pet, we found forever homes for a dozen senior cats and dogs, including Tosha, the sweet 14-year old poodle, and snuggly 11-year old Kitty Girl!
Just another glamorous day at Homeward Pet! Here’s staff member Lynette showing off the latest in animal care fashion, as she suits up to provide extra care to the special kitten recovering in our Cat Isolation Room. We especially enjoy the innovative, bold accessory choice – the bootie as hair net!
Lacey and Ceiba, two Homeward Pet fur-babies, are such good buddies! Lacey came to us as a very sick foster puppy about nine years ago. She’s been so healthy since she got over her initial issues. Ceiba recently had her first birthday. She is super affectionate and has grown so much since we first brought her home as a foster at just a couple weeks old. We love Lacey and Ceiba so much… and they love each other! Every time we take Lacey outside, Ceiba waits at the door, and then licks Lacey’s head (and sometimes wraps her arm around her like a hug!) as soon as we get back….very sweet!
Thought you’d enjoy seeing the picture!
~Alison
Heading into the last weekend of Adopt a Senior Pet Month, here is one of the best, most peaceful and beautiful pictures we’ve ever seen of an adopted senior pet…and a great story to go along with it:
Back in 2007 (I think) we adopted a Black Lab from you, known as “Gabe” at the time, but we know him as “Grape” (long story).
Grape is now about 11, and you can see here a picture of Grape and me in a canoe on Priest Lake, in Northern Idaho, a few days ago. Even at the ripe old age of 11, Grape delights in fetching tennis balls from the Lake, at which he gets to spend about 5 weeks a year (in all seasons). Grape has now accumulated nearly a year’s time at the Lake (and spent about half that time swimming!).
Grape is lovely, adorable, affectionate; a cherished member of our household, and we are so grateful for his time with us. I sincerely hope that we get many more years with Grape, even though he is slowing down, with clunky hips that limit his ability to go on interesting hikes with me. But he is a delight to me, my wife, our son.
Thank you for letting him join our household. -John
Thinking about giving a senior pet a home during Adopt a Senior Pet Month? This is the last weekend of our ‘Oldies But Goodies’, presented by VCA Sno-Wood Animal Hospital, featuring discounted adoptions on wonderful senior dogs and cats. See all of our available dogs and cats.
Thanks to our Adopt-a-Senior-Pet month sponsor ~ VCA Sno Wood Veterinary Hospital ~ for sharing their top four reasons for adopting a senior:
1. Housebreaking: A puppy or kitten can require constant attention. A puppy can hold his bladder just one hour for every month they’ve been alive. For instance, a 3-month-old puppy will need to empty his bladder every three hours! And yes, that does include the middle of the night! An adult dog’s bladder is already fully developed. Shelter dogs are most often already house-trained. You also have the advantage of knowing that your dog is physically able to “hold it” for several hours at a stretch. In most cases, adult dogs are by far easier to housebreak than puppies. You can teach an old dog new tricks! Many Senior Pets in shelters or with rescue groups are already trained and ready to go! Adults have a much longer attention span than puppies, too, which means they’re easier and faster to teach.
2. Personality: With an adult pet, what you see is what you get. Their personality is already developed, and you’ll be able to spot the characteristics you’re looking for. Shelters and rescue groups are able to assess the personality of each pet for adoption, and carefully match you up with the right dog or cat for your lifestyle.
3. Senior Pet adoption = an instant friend for life: Ask anybody who has adopted an adult dog or cat, and they’ll swear their bond with their rescued pal is as deep as they come. When you open your heart and your home to an older dog or cat who needs help, they really do show their appreciation for the rest of their life! Pets who have been uprooted from their homes, or have had difficult beginnings are likely to bond completely and deeply with their new human caretakers who they view as heroes. Pets who find themselves in the shelter or at a rescue group because of a death or other tragedy in their former human family usually go through a mourning period. Once they are adopted, however, they usually want nothing more than to please their new hero—YOU! No matter what circumstances brought them to the shelter or rescue group, most older pets for adoption are exceptionally affectionate and attentive pets and extremely loyal companions. But first you have to adopt one!
4. Senior Pet adoption = truly saving a life: When you adopt a senior dog or cat, you are doing the ultimate good deed. Let’s face it: a lot of people think they want a puppy or kitten, but not everyone is lining up to adopt the great seniors! Did you know that every year, approximately 4 million adoptable animals are killed? You can be sure there are a LOT of dogs and cats for adoption out there. With such a huge overpopulation problem, buying a pet from a breeder or pet store sadly contributes to this tragedy. Rescue groups that specialize in Senior Pet adoption work very, very hard to help adult dogs and cats find good homes. Rescues are almost always made up of a group of volunteers. They often keep their pets for adoption in their own homes while they assess their health and personalities. If a pet needs basic training, often the rescuer will provide it. If a pet needs medical treatment, many dedicated dog and cat rescuers pay for it out of their own pocket. These people are incredibly passionate about rescue, and they work tirelessly to make sure every pet finds a home. Nothing is as rewarding to these heroes as a successful adoption!
Thanks to Meadows Family Health & Wellness’ PamperEmployee Program, the Homeward Pet staff were treated to a FREE 10-Minute chair massage. Helping to reduce muscle tension, increase energy, alertness and productivity!
Thank you Corey and Jay!
Stop by any of these locations:
Pet Pros has been serving Northwest neighborhoods since 1986, offering healthy food and treats for dogs and cats, and a wide variety of supplements, accessories, and some of the most fun toys around. They love pets!
Enjoy an afternoon at the cellar for some holiday shopping, wine tasting and much more… all to benefit the dogs and cats at Homeward Pet!
Date: Saturday, December 5
Time: 12-5pm
Here’s Tiny and Guy on Saturday morning waiting in our Colony Room to find their forever home together! Tiny is an outgoing tabby, Guy is a bit shyer (but warming up every day!). They love each other, and would love a quieter house, lots of affection and plenty of lap time. Come meet Guy and Tiny, or any of our wonderful, adoptable cats this weekend! See our available cats and kittens here.
Adopt a senior cat or dog this month, and we’ll include a free or discounted massage from one of Homeward Pet’s animal massage partners – Wynne of Waig’s K-9 Massage in Snohomish, Laurie with Klein K9 Massage Services in Mountlake Terrace, and Anne (who works with cats and dogs!) at Therapeutic Massage.
Our senior cats and dogs are just 8 years and up, so they’ve still got plenty of life ahead of them. But you can make their lives even better by giving your senior pet proper health care – and spoiling them every once in a while. A massage is great way to loosen up stiff joints, promote good circulation, and just relax…because they’ve earned it!
Thank you to Wynne, Laurie and Anne for all you do every week for the animals at Homeward Pet, and for helping our adopted senior dogs and cats during Adopt a Senior Pet Month, celebrating our “Oldies But Goodies” all November at Homeward Pet!
When I first met Calvin, he was new to our shelter. He was so scared, a five pound white, skinny, shaking Chihuahua. He barely let anyone into his kennel, much less walk him. I decided to try to visit with him, went into his kennel and sat down. I waited a bit, then slowly extended my hand and offered a treat. He took it. He was curious, and after a while, he came closer, and then, to my surprise, climbed onto my lap. He let me pet him, and then hold him! He relaxed in my arms as I held him and seemed to want to snuggle under my chin. Gradually, he let me hook the leash to his collar and he bravely went out for a short walk. When we returned to his kennel, I held him for a while and he loved it, and I realized that he was such a special little dog.
It has been a number of weeks since we met, and he is so happy when I greet him when I come in each week. He jumps and twirls happily as soon as I am in his kennel, and he quickly climbs up to be held. When we walk, he is very excited. He prances happily and sometimes tries to hold the leash. He walks like a dream, and looks at me as if to say, “What are we doing next?” He is so smart and responsive.
Calvin is full of personality and has lots of love to give. He cherishes cuddle time. He is delightful and full of joy and antics when he feels comfortable and safe. He needs a little bit of time to adjust to new situations and new people, and is often overlooked because he can be scared at first.
Calvin is available for adoption! If you are interested, please take a little bit of time to get to know him. He is well worth it.
~ Leah, a Homeward Pet dog-walking volunteer
Homeward Pet kitty, Amy, is making herself right at home with her foster-to-adopt family. Stepping in to give some guidance with her new families online gaming…
It was Christmas in November for Brody today! Karen from Friends of Forks Animals, one of our partner animal welfare groups, sent a special treat to one of her (and our!) favorite dogs. After safety-proofing the contents, we let Brody tear into his package – a BarkBox stuffed with toys and treats! Check out the video below.
Read more about Brody on our Available Dogs & Puppies page.
The Homeward Pet office staff are so very grateful to Elliot Bay Design Group & CD Stimson Company for their amazing gift of carpet tiles. Their office space was getting an upgrade and really did not want their old carpet to end up in the landfill.
Our like new carpet has made a world of difference!
THANK YOU!
Each year for her birthday, Charlie asks for donations instead of presents. She uses the money to buy things for the animals from our wish list!
November is Adopt A Senior Pet Month, and even if you’re not looking to adopt an ‘Oldie But Goodie’, you can still make a difference in the life of a homeless cat or dog. With our Pay It Forward program, you can donate the adoption fee for a senior animal, helping us care for them during their stay and giving them a head start on finding a forever home. Once we’ve made a lifelong match, we’ll be able to send that dog or cat home with their adoption fee already paid, with a family that’ll be able to devote more to the care of their new senior pet.
Our special seniors, Laverne and Pixie, are thriving in their new homes, thanks to kind-hearted, senior-loving supporters who chose to Pay It Forward for their care and adoption. Help us build a compassionate, caring community during Adopt A Senior Pet Month – Pay It Forward. Thank you!
