Retirement, illness, death, and relocation can take away close friends and family members. Pets, especially dogs, are a great way for older adults to spark up conversations and meet new people. “We’re doing what we can to keep people and their pets together, but sadly we are seeing more animals coming into our care,” she adds. “We have 500 animals at our shelter. That’s many mouths to feed. We feel the pinch in terms of buying supplies, keeping up with pet food, and making sure all our animals are healthy,” she adds. Animals in captivity, with the help of caretakers, have been considered to have owned “pets”. Examples of this include Koko the gorilla who had several pet cats, Tonda the orangutan and a pet cat and Tarra the elephant and a dog named Bella.
- Additionally, many refuse to house in shelters if their pet is not allowed to stay