The Best Friends Podcast Episode 78
Saving senior pets from shelters is expensive and challenging and an area of lifesaving where the need outweighs the amount of available help. Compared to the total number of rescue organizations coast-to-coast, only a fraction focus solely on saving this highly at-risk group of animals.
Senior animals often carry a stigma that they don’t make good pets. Some adopters may believe seniors are “broken” or have problems that can’t be fixed - why else would they be at the shelter in the first place?
This week we talk with Kristen Peralta, co-founder of Vintage Pet Rescue, a rescue organization driven by a mission of helping aging pets live their best lives — regardless of how much longer they may have left.
Click here to check out all the episodes from the podcast.
Resources from this episode- Vintage Pet Rescue
- People.com: Senior Dog with Separation Anxiety Finds Comfort and Cuddles in Mannequin Dressed Like His Dad
- NBC 10 News WJAR: : Pet rescue in Foster gets creative when advertising animals up for adoption
- Best Friends Network: Removing Rescue Roadblocks
- Animals Journal: Factors Associated with Shelter Dog Euthanasia versus Live Release by Adoption or Transfer in the United States
- Best Friends Human & Pet Vulnerability Study
- The Grey Muzzle Organization: Saving Seniors: A Groundbreaking National Study
- Best Friends News: The Grey Muzzle Organization steps up for senior pets
- Best Friends Network: People, Pets, and Policies: Towards Community Supported Animal Sheltering
- Leveling the Field: How to Remove Barriers for Underrepresented Communities and their Pets
- Roadblock-free is the way to be
- Best Friends Network program spotlight: Getting the Message Out - How to Overcome Adoption and Foster Challenges in your Community
- Best Friends No-Kill Shelter Positive Outcome Study
Guest this week
Kristen Peralta
co-founder, Vintage Pet Rescue
Kristen founded Vintage Pet Rescue (VPR) with her husband Marc in September 2017.
Their mutual love for senior dogs is the driving force behind VPR, and they are committed to rescuing vintage (senior) pets from shelters and assisting owners who can no longer care for their senior pets. Along with their small team of volunteers, Kristen and Marc give these animals love, attention, and medical care for the last months or years of their lives.
Before founding VPR, Kristen worked as a production accountant in Los Angeles. She now spends her days mopping up pee and taking photos of sleeping, geriatric dogs.
Episode Transcript