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VOL.37, NO.11
NOVEMBER 2025
Older pets and owners pair up
Lucy wasn’t the only pet to have been surrendered to a shelter in her later years. Unfortunately, it happens at shelters across the DMV. “Sometimes the owner has passed away, and there’s no one related who is able or willing to take on the animal,” said Maria Anselmo, community relations manager at the Montgomery County shelter, adding that it may be due to financial constraints or a landlord issue.
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Older pets common in shelters
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FAIRFAX COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER
By Laura Sturza When a beautiful, fluffy calico cat named Lucy was 12 years old, her family gave her up. Lucy was sick, and they couldn’t afford her medical care, according to Maddie Lederer, an adoption counselor at the Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center in Derwood, Maryland. “We looked at her records and saw she had a history of bladder stones,” Lederer said. “We were able to treat her and put her on prescription diet food, so she hopefully wouldn’t have a recurrence.” Lucy quickly became a favorite among staff and volunteers, who described her as a “purring machine” and a “professional loafer with a cute face.” Despite those endearing qualities, though, Lucy was overlooked by prospective adoptive families because of her age and medical condition. That was until an older man walked into the shelter and said he was looking for a senior cat. He had previous experience with pets that needed medical attention, so that wasn’t a concern for him. “I knew Lucy was the cat,” Lederer said. “Not to be cheesy, but it was love at first sight. He didn’t want to meet any other cat. He said that as a senior, he just wanted to have a senior buddy around with him.”
I N S I D E …
A Northern Virginia woman in her 50s was happy to adopt TJ, a senior dog, from a shelter in Fairfax, Virginia. Many people over 50 choose to adopt older animals for health benefits and low-key companionship.
A long-distance move can also cause a pet owner to reluctantly give up their pet to a shelter. Long trips can be especially stressful for older pets, according to Frankie Kachur, communications assistant at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter in Lorton, Virginia. “One family was very torn up [when they surrendered their
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pet], but they were flying to Australia.” Of course, pets are stressed by surrender too. While shelter staff and volunteers strive to make pets as comfortable as possible, animals suddenly find themselves in cages, surrounded by other animals and See PETS, page 30
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