Adopting an Older Pet? This Pet Food Company Will Help You Cover the Fees

Considering all the scientific reasons we love small, cute things, it’s no surprise that people tend to gravitate toward kittens and puppies when adopting a pet. But there are plenty of benefits to bringing an older animal home instead.

For one thing, they’re typically lower-maintenance than their juvenile counterparts. Many are already house-trained (and trained in general) and require less attention and exercise. If you don’t want your pooch jumping all over every person who walks through the door and tearing through every shoe in sight, you might prefer a mature one. There’s also less mystery involved in adopting an adult pet, as it already has a personality and fixed appearance—you won’t, for example, end up with a dog that grows to twice the size you expected it to.

If you’re toying with the idea of taking home an older shelter pet, now’s the time to do it. November is National Adopt a Senior Pet Month—and to celebrate, pet food brand Stella & Chewy’s will help cover the cost of the adoption. Basically, after you’re finished the adoption process, you fill out a form that includes uploading proof of adoption and a receipt for the adoption fee. Stella & Chewy’s will reimburse you up to $200 via a check mailed straight to you.

There’s no universally accepted rule about what age makes a dog or cat “senior”; with dogs especially, it depends a lot on breed. To make things simple, Stella & Chewy’s has decided to qualify any dog or cat who’s at least 5 years old. The adoption date has to fall between Tuesday, November 1 and Wednesday, November 30 of this year, and your furry friend has to have come from a licensed non-profit shelter or rescue organization in the U.S. or Canada. 

The promotion is only open to the first 500 eligible pets—feel free to use that detail to help convince your partner to let you bring home a new (yet older) furry companion sooner rather than later.

Learn more and submit your form here.