May all that have life be delivered from suffering

January 5, 2017 3:05 PM

Shelters have a hard time finding adoptive families for elderly pets, animals with disabilities or chronic medical conditions, large animals that need special facilities, and working animals who have outlived their usefulness. Some people have stepped up to provide permanent care for these animals, so that they can live out their lives in comfort and security: 10 Animal Retirement Homes

Amongst the facilities: In Tucson, Arizona, elderly people who worry about what will happen to their cats if something happens to them know that their pets can be taken in by Hearts that Purr Feline Guardians. In Inverary, Ontario, Canada, Sheba's Haven Rescue takes in shelter dogs with incurable illnesses, disabilities, or limited lifespans and offers a loving family environment and palliative care. Chimp Haven in Keithville, Louisiana, is the National Chimpanzee Sanctuary, home to more than 200 retired research chimpanzees on 200 acres of forest land. The chimps are free to roam, build their own nests, and associate with each other as they please.

posted by Johnny Wallflower (22 comments total)

Old friends senior dog sanctuary isn't included. :(
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 3:12 PM on January 5, 2017 [10 favorites]

I think I'd like to retire with the retiring animals. For some reason, I'm particularly touched by the llamas. Maybe it's their foot-long eyelashes. Ahhh What a wonderful article! thanks JW <3
posted by strelitzia at 3:22 PM on January 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

One of my favorite instagram accounts is Wolfgang2242. He has an enormous collection of animals (enormous for someone who doesn't live on a ranch or something) and the dogs are all seniors. I just want to marry him. His posts are always uplifting, even when he is reporting the death of one of the senior citizen dogs.
posted by janey47 at 3:23 PM on January 5, 2017 [8 favorites]

Llamas and alpacas are very pretty animals. Sadly, during the recession many got sold cheaply and slaughtered for food.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 3:25 PM on January 5, 2017

Setting retirement home folks up as foster caretakers for pets is a brilliant idea.
posted by rmd1023 at 3:29 PM on January 5, 2017 [7 favorites]

Overdue from me is a shout-out to you, Johnny Wallflower, for keeping me juuuusst over the edge of meltdown with your posts the last few months (re: Trump etc.). This one gave me that tears-welling-at-work moment I really needed to blank out for a few minutes. Also, KITTIES!!
posted by pipoquinha at 3:45 PM on January 5, 2017 [9 favorites]

Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary is a glaring omission. Their Facebook feed is one of the only things that's gotten me through this time of ever increasing bad news.
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 3:58 PM on January 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary makes me smile literally every time I look at it <3
posted by torisaur at 4:09 PM on January 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

I came in here to share a link to the Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary Facebook page. It is the best page to follow.
posted by lunasol at 4:47 PM on January 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

As a former Humane Society Volunteer of the Year in my hometown, I hope I've got a little leeway to be Debbie Downer...

The first thing I see here is how much money humans are spending on the tremendous number of wasted animal lives we produce. Tens of thousands of racehorses sent to slaughter yearly, because there is no use for them once they're over five and/or useless for breeding. Equal numbers of retired racing greyhounds put down. The elephants I'm glad for, because they'd be endangered elsewhere, but they and big cats who are acclimated to humans are casualties of our desire for them to entertain us. Not to mention the millions of animals euthanized or otherwise killed each year because people don't spay or neuter and cat and dog populations are out of control. No-kill shelters and sanctuaries can only take on so many pets.

Not to mention: this is what we spend our money on? Every overpass on LA's Harbor Freeway seems to have a tent city on it, and we're setting up homes for terminally ill dogs? The multi-million humane society I worked for, in an LA suburb, has often come in for criticism as the homeless shelter down the street struggles to keep its doors open.

I know we're not supposed to play misery Olympics, but seriously, do we have our priorities straight?

(That said, I am 100% excited about mixed-care facilities like the one mentioned here for seniors. Animal training programs for prisoners are pretty great, and I've often thought it might be helpful to have programs where homeless or foster kids help care for strays, knowing how important animals' love was to me as a teenager who felt like my peers would never like me.)
posted by gusandrews at 5:48 PM on January 5, 2017 [13 favorites]

I've often thought it might be helpful to have programs where homeless or foster kids help care for strays

Oh, I love the idea of a drop-in centre for teens where they have old animals to care for.
posted by Thella at 5:59 PM on January 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

The Old Friends retirement farm for former racing Thoroughbreds is making me misty-eyed and I don't even follow horse racing closely. Old champions grazing in a meadow!
posted by nicebookrack at 6:40 PM on January 5, 2017

Another great FB page is Susie's Senior Dogs. She highlights senior animals in different shelters around the US in the hopes of getting them adopted. The happy ending stories of senior dogs can make my day no matter what.
posted by twilightlost at 7:46 PM on January 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

Also Tabby's Place, "a cage-free sanctuary that provides refuge to cats in hopeless situations" in NJ, and Ryerss Farm for Aged Equines in PA.
posted by nicwolff at 7:57 PM on January 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Keep those suggestions coming, and I'll have enough for a followup list!
posted by Miss Cellania at 8:46 PM on January 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

The multi-million humane society I worked for, in an LA suburb, has often come in for criticism as the homeless shelter down the street struggles to keep its doors open.

The problem there is not with the humane society.
posted by praemunire at 9:07 PM on January 5, 2017 [16 favorites]

Yeah, the problem is really suburban NIMBYism, particularly California's virulent strain.
posted by gusandrews at 9:17 PM on January 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

All those roses go much better with dogs than the homeless. sheesh (seriously though this town's issues with the homeless forced out of DTLA without any assistance is beyond shameful)
posted by drewbage1847 at 11:17 PM on January 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Tens of thousands of racehorses sent to slaughter yearly

9 billion land animals slaughtered annually for food production in the US. 9 billion. Think of all that unnecessary suffering before your next meal. Such a small amount of pleasure at such a great cost.
posted by superfish at 11:28 AM on January 6, 2017 [3 favorites]

Near Santa Fe, NM we have Kindred Spirits Animal Sanctuary which is a final home for dogs, assorted poultry, and horses.
posted by BooneTheCowboyToy at 1:26 PM on January 6, 2017

Y'know, the article says "Here are 10 animal retirement homes", not "here are the 10 BEST senior animal sanctuaries" or "here are the ONLY 10 animal retirement homes".

I swear if I ever publish a list of anything the headline will be "An INCOMPLETE and NONEXHAUSTIVE list of A FEW but NOT ALL and NOT DEFINITIVE examples of category [X] DON'T @ ME".
posted by Lexica at 2:14 PM on January 6, 2017 [4 favorites]

Lighten up folks. No one can fix the world (except our leader-to-be), but we can all try to make it a little better when we can. Helping out old animals isn't a bad thing just because they don't also help the homeless, or old humans, or old homeless humans. Making the world just a little bit better somehow is still making the world a little bit better.
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 7:30 PM on January 6, 2017 [2 favorites]