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Caroline (holding the leash of her Pomeranian, Foxy) says the weekly visits from Heart of Ida's volunteer dogwalkers are like “a breath of fresh air.” Read about the "Ida's Walkers" dog-walking program below.
Photo courtesy Heart of Ida
For an older person or someone who lives alone, a pet may be both a best friend and beloved family member.
“A pet can give someone a reason to get up every day,” notes Sue Martino, executive director of The Pet Project, a South Florida-based program serving low-income older adults and people with medical needs. “There are many people who, if they didn’t have a dog, wouldn't go for a walk, go to the park or talk to other people.”
But, adds Jana Cassidy, executive director of the Humane Society of Delaware County, Ohio, “We know, based on national and local metrics, that as a senior's income is squeezed, they have to make harder choices regarding the medical needs of their pets. As the cost of veterinary care continues to climb, having a pet can become unaffordable.”
We asked communities enrolled in the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities to tell us about programs in their area that help older adults and their pets live together and thrive.
Following, in alphabetical order by state, are some of the free or low-cost, replicable programs they told us about.
Walking Dogs in Long Beach, California
An advertisement for Ida's Walkers and (pictured at right) Cinthya, a volunteer dog walker, with Diego
Photos courtesy Heart of Ida
Ida's Walkers, a program of Heart of Ida, a nonprofit that helps people remain independent as they age, provides volunteer dog walking services to adults age 60-plus who have low-to-moderate incomes and mobility challenges.
After passing a background check, volunteer walkers are matched with clients and introduced to one another during a meet and greet that is supervised by Heart of Ida. (The organization, founded by sisters Dina Berg and Keri Reich, is named after their grandmother Ida.) The program also partners with the California State University’s Center for Community Engagement, through which students can earn internship or volunteer hours.
The dog walks last from 20 minutes to an hour and occur once or twice weekly.
“There are many days I’m unable to get out of bed, let alone walk my dogs," says Cathy, a Heart of Ida client. The happiness my dogs show when the walker arrives delights me.”
Delivering Dinner to South Florida Pets
Vans operated by The Pet Project supply feline and canine clients (some shown here) with pet food as well as veterinary services.
Photos courtesy The Pet Project
Established in Wilton Manors, a small city near Fort Lauderdale, The Pet Project was created to provide pet food deliveries to low-income pet owners with HIV/AIDS.
“They were people who had a dog or cat that sat in their lap, licked their face, or simply cuddled with them when no human would,” recalls Sue Martino, the project’s executive director.
In 2020, the Alliance for Aging in Miami, Florida, became aware of the increasing rates of pets being abandoned by older, low-income adults due to the economic and food access disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Knowing The Pet Project had experience supplying and delivering pet food to people and pets in need, the nonprofit and the Alliance partnered to create the Pet Food Project.
Martine Charles of the Alliance for Aging explains that “the enduring need remains elevated today due to inflation, housing costs and increasing pet food and veterinary expenses.”
Another factor, says Martino, is South Florida’s population, which includes a large number of older adults, people living with HIV, and people with disabilities. “Circumstances change in their lives,” she notes. “They get sick. They no longer can work. They have pets and they want to keep their pets, but they need help. I've been in the homes of people where the refrigerator has nothing but little trays of food for feeding their pets and maybe a half a carton of milk for themselves."
One of the Pet Food Project’s recipients is William K., a 75-year-old disabled Gulf War veteran. He is homebound and lives alone with his blind cat and a cat he took in after a neighbor passed away. “William’s disability check barely covers his rent and groceries,” explains Charles. “The cats are his only family. The program is an emotional and financial lifeline for all three of them.”
Connecting with Cats and Canines in Minnesota
Lisa (left) and Ruth (right) enjoy their Coffee & Companions visits at the Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley, Minnesota.
Photos courtesy the Animal Humane Society
Hosted by the Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley, Minnesota, the Coffee & Companions program invites adults age 55 or older to gather for coffee, conversation and an hour socializing with adoptable cats and dogs before the shelter opens for the day to the public.
The monthly sessions, which are capped at 20 participants and fill up quickly, also provides older adults who don’t or can’t have a pet with the opportunity to spend time with animals.
Pets and Livability
More about people, places and pets:
“We provide a place where people can come together and hopefully fill up their cups with genuine social connection,” explains Rachael Dashiell, the Animal Humane Society’s community program manager. “On the animal side of things, as comfortable as we try to make our facility, it's still a shelter with lots of smells, sounds and new, stressful experiences.”
The morning coffee visitors “provide a calming energy and gentle touch,” says Dashiell. "They hold and play with the animals and take dogs for walks. The interactions help the animals learn to trust people and be less fearful.”
Lisa Brumm, who adopted two dogs from the Animal Humane Society, is a frequent visitor. Recently retired, Brumm was drawn in by the idea of being around like-minded animal-lovers. “Coffee & Companions fits right in that pocket of, ‘How do I feel connected to others, less alone?’”
Another regular visitor is Linda Geldert, who discovered the program after her husband passed away suddenly in 2022 and she was looking for activities to boost her spirits. The couple participated in the shelter’s annual Walk for Animals fundraisers since their early 20s and adopted a cat from the organization. “We never had kids, so our cats were like our kids,” she explains.
Geldert’s Coffee & Companions sessions usually begin and end with the first cat she meets.
“A cat will climb into my lap, and I spend my time sitting there and talking to it and petting it,” she says. “I know the cat is going through a hard time. It has maybe had to fend for itself, or it lost its special person. I guess I can kind of relate.”
The sessions help Geldert as well as, she observes, the cats. “A lot have ended up finding a home the same day I sat with them. I will actually say to the cats, ‘I know, you're going to find a new home really soon and you're going to have a wonderful new life.’ And then they do!”
Providing Vaccines and Pet Food in Ohio
From left: Sissy, Stinker and Connie at a drive-through vaccine clinic for dogs and cats hosted by the Humane Society of Delaware County
Photo by Glenn Battishill for The Delaware Gazette. Used with permission.
Created with SourcePoint, an aging services agency that leads the local Meals on Wheels program, the Humane Society of Delaware County hosts free drive-through vaccine clinics for the dogs and cats of county residents age 55 or older.
The service is an extension of the Humane Society’s Pet Care Assistance Program for the pets of older adults and SourcePoint’s Just for Paws pet food delivery program.
“Rather than having our clients feed their Meals on Wheels food to their pets, we provide them with pet food assistance,” says Karen Pillion, the nutrition program administrator at SourcePoint. “Providing assistance to help maintain the bond between pet and owner is critical to helping clients to live independently in their homes.”
SourcePoint’s success in feeding both people and pets has turned the organization into a a mentor for Meals on Wheels programs nationwide. Says Pillion: “We are very willing to share our successes and challenges with anyone interested in learning more in order to replicate the program.”
Operating a Mobile Veterinary Clinic in Vermont
Clockwise from top left: The Mitzvah Fund's mobile surgical center; Margaret and Grayson; Steve and Mitzi; members of the veterinary team at work
Photos courtesy The Mitzvah Fund
In Montpelier, Vermont, a 34-foot, RV-like vehicle equipped with a state-of-the-art mobile surgical clinic, The Mitzvah Fund provides low-cost non-emergency surgical and dental care for the companion animals of low-income Vermonters age 55 or older, veterans of any age, disabled first responders and individuals who are unhoused.
“We see the pets for an initial appointment during which we do an exam, bloodwork, X-rays, and an ultrasound. We then see them back at least once for their surgical or dental needs,” says Deborah Glottmann, co-founder and president of the Mitzvah Fund. “Many of the animals we see need a second anesthetic event for more teeth out or another mass removed. Some cases can require as many as five visits before all their needs are met.”
For that reason, clients are allowed one “case” per household annually. After surgery, the patients spend at least one night in the hospital ward (aka: Glottmann’s living room).
The community outreach and service nonprofit was founded in 2014 by Glottmann and veterinarian Connie Riggs. The pair had co-owned a veterinary practice for many years, and they constantly encountered clients who could not afford their pet’s medical needs.
The Mitzvah Fund was created as a way to honor Deb’s late father, Saul, who instilled in his children the importance of doing mitzvahs, loosely meaning “good deeds “ in Hebrew. The program now helps about 300 pets annually. Patients are typically referred to the Mitzvah Fund by local veterinary clinics, animal shelters, police departments and social service agencies.
Steve Finner, 87, and his late wife ran what became a pet retirement home and hospice by adopting older cats and dogs. He shares that over the past five years, the Mitzvah Fund has provided at least $6,000 worth of veterinary services to Mitzi, the 15-year-old cat he adopted when she was 10 and her owner passed away, to manage her multiple dental treatments, a facial tumor and kidney disease. “Without their help, Mitzi would not be alive,” he says.
Grayson, a 14-year-old Chihuahua, was nine when he was adopted by Margaret Snelgrove, who is in her 80s. Grayson needed several teeth extracted. “Programs like this are a godsend. I live alone and Grayson is my 24-hour companion. It's incredible what this dog means to me and what I mean to him,” says Snelgrove.
Pets Can Be the Best Medicine
The physical, psychological and social benefits of having a pet is well-documented, and the benefits are especially impactful for older adults.
“Pets provide older adults with vital social connection,” explains Karen Pillion, the nutrition program administrator at SourcePoint, an aging services provider in Delaware County, Ohio. “They help decrease the negative consequences of social isolation that include anxiety, depression, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, a lower quality of life and an increased use of health care services.”
Learn more about the connections between wellness and pet ownership by older adults:
- Pet Ownership and Maintenance of Physical Function in Older Adults (Innovation in Aging)
- The Effects of Human-Animal Interactions on Health and Well-Being of Older Adults (BioMed Central Geriatrics)
Reporting by Amy Lennard Goehner | Page published April 2026
The inclusion of named places or programs is not an endorsement by AARP.
