Love at FURst sight

The sound of excited barks and meows echoed all throughout the innovative Young at Heart pet adoption center in Woodstock as Sun City resident and long-time volunteer, Allen Podraza, demonstrated the home like environment created to limit stress for the senior cats and dogs residing at the center.

Sun City resident Allen Podraza spends much of his retirement as a volunteer at Woodstock’s Young at Heart pet adoption center, where he helps care for senior dogs and cats. (Photos provided)

Amenities like heated floors, open roaming areas, and plenty of pet friendly furniture are made standard to these furry companions until they find their forever homes.

Podraza, who had recently added a new addition to his family in the form of a spunky, senior dog named Fargo, has been passionate in his mission to spread the word to others, including those in the Sun City community, about Young at Heart.

He said, “From a volunteer’s perspective, this is good for your physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing. It’s a stress reliever to play with the cats and dogs. It keeps you active and you develop relationships or bonds with the animals and the other volunteers. You can donate one hour, two hours. It’s an easy transition. You’re supported, you learn things. There’s a variety of things you can do. Now that I’m retired, I have the opportunity to focus my love for animals here and am able to see the results every time I see a cat or dog being rescued, cared for, and find their forever family.”

Dawn Kemper, Founder and Executive Director of Young at Heart, started her dream of saving senior pets from the danger of being euthanized at other shelters in 2005 and since then, with the help of volunteers and generous donations, continues to grow and foster new ways to aid these loving animals in their golden years.

“I worked in the animal welfare world for a while and the senior dogs and cats were always my favorites. They were also always the hardest to adopt out and in our area the only way that senior pets would get out of our shelter system, was if they were rescued or adopted, but a lot of places would not put a dog or cat that was over the age of five, on the adoption floor. So, a lot of the times if a senior pet went into an animal shelter, it didn’t come back out alive. Young at Heart was founded in direct response for there being basically no answer for how do you help senior pets get adopted,” Kemper explained.

Support for this senior pet sanctuary is not limited to just volunteering with the pets. Involvement through attending fundraising events or donating even as little as five dollars is enough to make a difference.

A cat lounges comfortably at Young at Heart.

However, if enough Sun City residents are interested in volunteering, Sandy Bacino, Volunteer and Community Outreach Coordinator at Young at Heart, would be happy to create an orientation group solely for the residents to attend to get more information on involvement opportunities.

Young at Heart offers adopters age 65 and older, 50 percent off the adoption fees which include vaccinations and other necessary comprehensive medical care a pet may need. Adoptions are through appointment only. Interested residents should visit www.adoptaseniorpet.com to get further information on how to support Young at Heart.

“Who better to adopt a senior pet then a senior citizen. [The pets] are calmer. Most of them are potty trained. I think it’s an easier transition than a kitten or a puppy and you have that great feeling that you gave a senior pet a second chance,” Podraza said.

Those with a Facebook account can also make donations to Podraza’s current fundraiser, “Allen’s Mardi Growl fundraiser for Young at Heart Senior Pet Adoptions,” by visiting Young at Heart’s Facebook page and looking under their fundraisers section.

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