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Community Corner

Local Animal Lovers Pair Senior Citizens With Senior Pets

Older adults and older pets offer each other purpose and companionship.

When Sherman Oak’s resident Tracy Priestley and her sister Tami Pearsall saw how lonely their mother was after being widowed, they urged her to adopt a cat.

“Why?” quipped the 81 year old.  “It’ll just outlive me.  Then what?”

“Then we’ll get you an old cat,” they replied.

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And that’s just what they did.  Priestley and Pearsall brought their mother, Sheila, a ten-year-old grey tabby named Bo that was on the “Red List” at the West Valley Animal Shelter in Chatsworth.  Animals are typically euthanized after 48 hours of being placed on the Red List, simply because there is not enough room for all of the homeless animals in our community.  

Older pets are more difficult to place.  Families with children generally go for kittens and puppies. 

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Sheila and Bo quickly lifted one another’s spirits, sleeping side by side every night.

“It was a win-win,” says Priestley.  “My mom had purpose caring for another, and Bo’s life was saved.  She got love and a wonderful home.”

That match prompted Priestley, a long-time animal rescue advocate, to launch “SENIORS FOR SENIORS – pets & people,” a Facebook group dedicated to helping senior pets and the senior people find a way to comfort and support one another.

In just two months, the group has over 450 members.  Some seniors have adopted mature cats and dogs, outright.  But all sorts of connections have been made.  One senior was willing to foster a 13-year-old German Shepherd named Lola, but was looking for help to support the dog.  Seniors for Seniors linked her with three members who could not house an additional pet but were each willing to pay $10 per month for the rest of Lola’s life, living with her new owner.

Other options include fostering a senior pet, until they find a home or making a financial pledge until a home can be found. 

Seniors for Seniors’ page is filled with posts of older animals – including a pig - looking for homes and sponsors, and senior citizens looking for specific types of dogs and cats, plus their success stories.

As for Bo, the beloved tabby recently passed away after living in the lap of luxury with Sheila for three and a half years.  Rather than being consumed with grief when Bo died, Sheila recognized the blessing the two had been for one another and immediately adopted Pippa, another senior cat scheduled to be euthanized.

Pet lovers interested in joining the Seniors for Seniors mission can request to be added via the group’s Facebook page:  SENIORS FOR SENIORS – pets & people

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