Dane County Humane Society (DCHS) operates under the belief that anyone who wants to love and care for a pet should be able to do so. Unfortunately, the cost to bring a furry friend home may seem out of reach for some.

DCHS leaders realized the challenges some seniors face being able to afford bringing home a pet companion and sought out a program that could help meet this need. In the summer of 2021, DCHS partnered with Pets for the Elderly (PFE) to help reduce the cost of adopting a companion animal for seniors in our community.

In 1992, PFE began working with two shelters in Ohio to carry out its mission of providing pet companions to seniors while helping shelter animals find new homes. After seeing years of success, PFE branched out nationally in 2002. Currently, PFE works with 56 shelters in 32 states.

Through the PFE grant, adopters age 60+ can get up to $50 off their new pet’s adoption fee. At DCHS, adoption fees cover spay/neuter surgery and age-appropriate vaccinations for dogs, cats, and rabbits. The fees also cover flea and tick treatment and microchip implantation in dogs and cats, heartworm tests for adult dogs, and any additional veterinary treatment for animals at 
the shelter.

In the first six months of the program at DCHS, 41 dogs, 57 cats, and 2 guinea pigs were adopted. Among the animals adopted was Kona. Virgean Ostrand had been searching for a year and a half for a dachshund when she spotted one on DCHS’ website one Sunday evening in June 2021. She and her husband, Dale, left their Door County home the next morning to make the more-than-two-hour drive to DCHS to meet Kona.

Virgean had heard about the PFE program, but when she and her husband decided to meet Kona, they didn’t know DCHS was a program partner. “I think it’s a great option,” Virgean says of the ability to adopt and receive a senior discount. “I’m hoping that more people can take advantage of the program. It really helped.”

PFE and DCHS believe all seniors, including those living on fixed incomes, should be able to enjoy the comfort, companionship, and love of a pet. The discount afforded through PFE helps to make it possible for seniors to provide shelter animals with loving homes. Research also shows a number of health benefits to having pets, including increased fitness, less stress, decreased blood pressure, and decreased feelings of loneliness.

Upon bringing Kona home, the Ostrands noticed a very easy transition. “He was the best trained family-friendly dog you ever met,” says Virgean, who hasn’t been without a dog for 43 years. “Of course, he attached himself to my husband…little bugger. He’s just the perfect little doggie. I hope the senior discount program can continue. Kona has made such a difference in our lives. He made our lives bearable when I lost Oscar, my little long-hair doxie.”

Through the program, DCHS adopted 46 dogs and 49 cats into new homes in 2022. For 2023, DCHS not only received funds to continue to offer reduced adoption fees for seniors, but the shelter also received another grant from PFE to offer veterinary care for pets of seniors who qualify.

In 2020, PFE expanded its program to offer funding to partner shelters to cover services, such as veterinary, retention, surgical, and food support, to pet adopters age 60+. DCHS will use the funds to provide pets of seniors with dentals, diagnostics, medications, surgeries, and more by the shelter’s in-house veterinarians.

Now, not only does DCHS help seniors find a furry friend to love, but can also provide veterinary care to keep the animal with the family who loves them.

For seniors who would like the companionship of a pet but feel they cannot commit to a long-term timeframe, they could apply to foster an animal in need of temporary care outside the shelter. Some animals just need a break from the shelter while they wait to find their new families, while others need extra socialization or time to grow or to heal from an injury. To learn more about fostering, visit giveshelter.org/foster.

Lisa Bernard is the public relations coordinator at DCHS.

Photograph provided by Dane County Humane Society

DANE COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY
(608) 838-0413
giveshelter.org