Senior pet adoption in the spotlight

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (WCAX) - November is National Adopt a Senior Pet Month and some local animal shelters are working to highlight their older residents.

That includes Homeward Bound in Middlebury. Officials there say while it’s never a bad time to adopt a senior pet, with the holidays right around the corner, older furry friends are facing a challenge. That’s because people sometimes swap out their older pets for baby ones, resulting in a lot of surrenders for shelters.

It comes as adoptions have been really tough during the pandemic, and they’ve seen a noticeable influx of animals being brought into the shelter. But Homeward Bound says senior pets have a ton of benefits that come along with their friendship.

Homeward Bound has senior dogs, cats, and small animals. Our Elissa Borden toured the shelter with Jahnu Gibbs and Heather Ballard to meet some of them.

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