If you or your family member is getting older and looking to downsize, think ahead about what that might mean for your pet.
“A lot of it is knowing your pets,” said Erica Miller, DVM with Apple Lane Animal Hospital. “You went from your pets being able to run around and have all this land and kind of free roam and now, you’re in an apartment. Your lifestyle changed. Are you getting up early and going on walks to release some of that energy for your pet. Are you doing walks after work? Can you go home at lunch and do a quick walk? Walks are good for us, too.”
It’s also sometimes best for the animal to be offered to a different owner who may have a similar living situation to what is being left behind.
“We’ll have elderly clients that are like, hey, we’ve got to move,” Miller said. “We can’t take our pets with us. Rehoming is always an option. Sometimes that can be hard for the owner, but sometimes the owner knows. They’re like, hey, I need to rehome my pet, because it’s not fair to them to not have these things that they have always had. I want them to have those things. There’s always that.
Miller says there are times where she’s able to match up current clients with prospective ones.
“A lot of times, it’s like, I don’t want a puppy,” Miller said. “I don’t want to do the potty training. I don’t want to do this. I want a dog that’s already older and just kind of ready to enter the family. If you’re talking with your veterinarian and you’re in regularly, we know your pet. A lot of times we know if they’d be a good fit for someone who is looking for someone just like them.”
If you have other questions, you can call Miller’s office at (620) 662-0515.
