Some say older dogs can't learn new tricks, but will they ever find a forever home? Hill's Pet Nutrition is trying to help do just that by offering a year of free food to a family who adopts two senior dogs.
The pet food brand partnered with Vanderpump Dogs, a rescue organization in Los Angeles, California, to help find homes for senior dogs Wilfred and Cody.
Elderly four-legged dogs in shelters are already finding it hard to find homes.
“When it comes to the elderly, many people are older. [and] “Dogs at the shelter don't have to worry that they might have behavioral issues or that they're here for a reason,” Natalie Phillips, adoption coordinator for Vanderpump Dogs, told USA Today.
Often, as in the case of Cody and Wilfred, older dogs end up in shelters due to circumstances beyond their or their owners' control.
Senior dog wanted for adoption: Senior dog “Billy Bob” spent nearly three years at an animal shelter in Ohio
Meet Cody and Wilfred
Wilfred, the shelter's “sweet” 15-year-old grandfather, was sent to a high-kill shelter after his elderly original owner passed away. Vanderpump Dogs rescued Wilfred, and after much dental work that included the removal of 12 teeth, Wilfred is ready to find a new owner.
“He's very friendly and ready to go home,” Phillips said.
Cody, described as “sweet” and “friendly,” was rescued in 2020 and adopted by a loving family. After three years with the family, he was returned to the shelter about six months ago due to unexpected financial issues. During his return, there were no families willing to adopt him.
“Our policy whenever we take in a dog is to make sure they have a home here,” Phillips said, “and if necessary, we will never return the dog to a shelter, even after many years.”
Cody and Wilfred are older and black dogs, which Phillips said may be one of the reasons they haven't been adopted yet.
At the shelter, dogs are typically adopted within a month, but Cody was there for six years.
According to the ASPCA, only 25 percent of senior dogs in shelters are adopted.
Senior dogs up for adoption get attention
The four-legged stars got to walk the orange carpet alongside one of the stars of the latest Garfield movie.
Wilfred and Cody accompanied Cecily Strong down the orange carpet at the Garfield movie premiere, where the former SNL cast member who voiced Marge Malone said she, too, has an old dog.
“People who can keep senior dogs should do so,” Strong said in a TikTok posted by Hill's Pet Nutrition.
Having a pet “is a gift to the dogs and they are a gift to us,” Strong said.
Christo Pratt, who voiced Garfield, said his wife was a “strong supporter” of the ASPCA and that he was “fully committed to that life.”
“I think providing a home for an animal, especially an elderly animal, is such a wonderful act of service,” Cristo Pratt, who voices Garfield, said in another TikTok.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rescue aims to find homes for senior dogs with help from dog food brand
