If you’re looking to adopt a pet this month, Petfinder.com is celebrating November as Adopt-A-Senior-Pet month. Senior pets are great companions for pet owners who want a trained dog that they don’t have to monitor 24 hours, seven days a week.

Here are ten reasons why a senior dog is a great match (provided by the ASPCA):

1. What You See Is What You Get
Older dogs are open books—from the start, you’ll know important things like their full-grown size, personality and grooming requirements. All this information makes it easier to pick the right dog and forge that instant love connection that will last a lifetime. If you’re not so into surprises, an older dog is for you!

2. Easy to Train
Think you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Hogwash! Older dogs are great at focusing on you—and on the task at hand—because they’re calmer than youngsters. Plus, all those years of experience reading humans can help them quickly figure out how to do what you’re asking.

3. Seniors are Super-Loving
One of the cool parts of our job is reading stories from people just like you who have opted to adopt. The emails we get from pet parents with senior dogs seem to all contain beautiful, heartfelt descriptions of the love these dogs give you—and those of you who adopted dogs already in their golden years told us how devoted and grateful they are. It’s an instant bond that cannot be topped!

4. They’re Not a 24-7 Job
Grownup dogs don’t require the constant monitoring puppies do, leaving you with more freedom to do your own thing. If you have young children, or just value your “me time,” this is definitely a bonus.

5. They Settle in Quickly
Older dogs have been around the block and already learned what it takes to get along with others and become part of a pack. They’ll be part of the family in no time!

6. Fewer Messes
Your floors, shoes and furniture will thank you for adopting a senior pooch! Older dogs are likely to already be housetrained—and even if they’re not, they have the physical and mental abilities to pick it up really fast (unlike puppies). With their teething years far behind them, seniors also are much less likely to be destructive chewers.

7. You Won’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew
There are those who yearn for a doggie friend of their own, but hold back because they worry what might happen in their lives in the years to come. And they are wise to do so—a puppy or young dog can be anywhere from an 8- to 20-year responsibility, which is not appropriate for the very elderly or those with certain long-term future plans. Providing a loving home for a dog in her golden years is not a less serious commitment, but it can be a shorter one.

8. They Enjoy Easy Livin’
Couch potato, know thyself! Please consider a canine retiree rather than a high-energy young dog who will run you ragged. Not that older dogs don’t require any exercise—they do—but they’re not going to need, or want, to run a marathon every day.

9. Save a Life, Be a Hero
At shelters, older dogs are often the last to be adopted and the first to be euthanized. Saving an animal’s life offers an unparalleled emotional return on your investment, and you’ll feel the rewards every day you spend together.

10. They’re CUTE!
Need we say more?

If you’re looking to adopt, visit Petfinder.com and search for your perfect matched senior pet in a local shelter.

Image via Premierpetcare

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Petfinder.com is having a Halloween contest! They are accepting entries unitl October 31, 2009. Winners will be chosen from three categories- the Do-It-Yourself costume (courtesy of the recession), the best Celebrity Look-a-like team, and People & Pets.

The prize is really handy! The winner from each category will receive a BISSELL SpotBot® Pet Compact Deep Cleaner and two bottles of cleaning formula. The prize is worth $139.99.

A little info on the SpotBot®:
-The revolutionary carpet spot cleaner gives you the freedom to walk away while it does the work for you!
-It was named as a Bestcovery.com best pick!
-Convenient hose and tools are stored on board for versatile cleaning
-Pre-programmed cycles
-Microban Protection®

The contest winners will be posted on the Petfinder.com website on November 18, 2009. Good luck!

Enter here.

Images courtesy of Petfinder and BISSELL

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According to the Daily Press, Benji, a nine-year-old Bichon frise, was stolen when his owner, Linda Schneider’s car was stolen four weeks ago. While it’s unsafe to keep a dog in a car because temperatures can drastically increase within minutes, Schneider knew better.

Her husband, Bob Schneider, explained the situation to the Daily Press,

As new residents of Mooresville, NC, they went to Cracker Barrel to grab some food. “…It was very hot that day, so, erroneously, I decided to leave the air conditioning on in the car,” which was unlocked.” That’s when a man by the name of Jason Osborne grabbed their car, and sped away. Osborne has been wanted in several states. Schneider continued, “And I’m sure (Osborne), at the time, didn’t even know there was a dog in there.

The car was recovered in Ohio on September 3, 2009, but Benji wasn’t in the car.

Osborne had released the dog and witnesses began calling Shenandoah County Animal Control about a “white dog running in the Wal-mart parking lot in Woodstock. On August 31, 2009, six days after the initial call, officer ernie Walters caught Benji at a fruit stand.

Ray Jones, the founder and President of Guardian of Animal heard about Benji and told them to check animal shelters. Benji, on the other hand, was posing for pictures to be placed on Pet Finder.

Mrs. Schneider went through all the pictures on Pet Finder before she finally found Benji.

Benji was microchipped and his identity was confirmed.

She told the Daily Press,

Benji is “everything. My heart’s just a beatin’. We have so much to be thankful for. We had faith that he’d come home. We’ve just discovered how many wonderful people there are in the world.”

Her husband added, “Our kids are grown. He’s family.”

We’re so happy to hear that Benji’s back home!

Image courtesy of Charlotte Observer

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GreaterGood.org has announced the winners of The Animal Rescue Site $100,000 Shelter + Challenge, together with Petfinder.com! They awarded 60 grants totaling $100,000 and the shelters were chosen by participant votes per day. Congratulations to everyone!

Grand Prize: $20,000 grant to help animals:
Best Friends Animal Society of Kanab, Utah

Second Prize: $5,000 grant to help animals:
Seminole County Animal Services of Sanford, Florida

Third Prize: $3,000 grant to help animals:
Rolling Dog Ranch Animal Sanctuary of Ovando, Montana

Honorable Mentions: Receiving a $1,500 grant to help animals:
1-Days End Farm Horse Rescue of Lisbon, Maryland
2- Community Animal Rescue & Adoption Inc (CARA) of Jackson, Mississippi

A few state winners who won $1,000 grant to help animals:
New York: SBU Cat Network
Florida: Pet Rescue by Judy
Michigan: Crash’s Landing Cat Rescue & Placement Center
Massachusetts: House Rabbit Network

Click here to view the entire list of winners.

Images courtesy of The Animal Rescue Site

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Today, Petfinder.com and Zootoo.com have announced a partnership in order to increase pet adoption and share pet-related information. Petfinder, a website that is known for pet adoptions will now be featured on the Zootoo website and Zootoo will be featured on Petfinder with informational resources for pet lovers.

Petfinder is the leading database for over 12,500 shelters and rescue groups who post adoptable pets. Currently, there are over 300,000 adoptable pets featured on the site.

Marcello De Luca, the CEO of Zootoo expressed his happiness,

“This partnership allows both companies to focus on its core competency. Petfinder is the leader in adoption, and we are proud to help their decade-long effort to increase animal adoption rates. Our mission is to inform the pet lover community, and we are delighted to have this opportunity to more directly reach people who are looking for an adoptable pet.”

Betsy Saul, co-founder of Petfinder.com stated,

“An alliance between Zootoo and Petfinder is a natural. Our strengths mesh in a way that will really appeal to pet people. There will be lots of news and views that our visitors will enjoy.”

Click here to see adoptable pets on Zootoo.

Wonderful news!

Images courtesy of Zootoo and Petfinder

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Today is “Adopt-a-Less Adoptable Pet Day” which was created by Petfinder.com to recognize that while all homeless pets need homes, there are pets who have a much harder time finding a loving, permanent home due to special needs.

Petfinder.com took a survey and found that the most needy pets are senior pets, special needs pets, fighting breeds, and the big, black syndrome- black dogs.

If you give them a chance, they’re just as beautiful and lovely as the cute little puppies. Plus, they deserve to be happy!

Petfinder.com made a small list of why they love “special” pets:

-Older pets are mellower – you don’t have to worry about your lamp getting knocked over!
-Physically challenged pets are often unaffected by their handicap – but you still look like a hero!
-With “bad reputation” breeds, you get the chance to prove people wrong with your great dog!
-Dark-furred pets make it easy to accessorize – black goes with everything!
-Pets with behavioral issues allow you to form a tight bond as you overcome obstacles together!
-Big dogs are easier to find when it’s time to go to the vet!

Every dog deserves a chance at love, so if you’re going to get a pet, please adopt a less adoptable one.

Images courtesy of Petfinder.com

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