In fort Francis, Ontario in Canada the Friends of Animals local animal welfare group has created a new adoption program geared towards seniors.  The program will offer special assistance to those senior citizens looking to adopt a pet but who will be concerned about certain limitations such as; cost, upkeep, or what happens to their new pet if they die. The Friends of Animals group stated, ‘We just thought there are seniors in the community who are living alone…We wanted to see if we could assist them in some way.’ The friends of animal welfare group can help senior citizens with different tasks and concerns related to the well being of their pets such as changing the litter box, assisting with the purchase of food, or the costs, or taking animal back into their care if the owner dies. The program is still new but it’s pretty darn popular. As of last Monday they were already receiving calls interested in the program. At the moment they have ten cats available for adoption and five dogs. In the past three years they have adopted out more than 300 pets to happy homes and the Friends of Animals welfare group hopes to continue adopting more to seniors. Speaking for the friends of the animals group member Mike Pearson stated, ‘Support, so they’re not stuck. We could assist in a certain way…You’ve got a senior sitting by themselves all day; there are a lot of seniors that are alone. It would be nice if these people could have a pet…We know recovery from surgery is quoted as being accelerated when there is continued contact with a pet. The petting and stroking of a pet helps to calm the most agitated resident. I am frequently told by nurses and doctors that they know when the therapy dogs have been in to visit. There is a sense of well being from those that the dogs visited.’Source: http://www.fftimes.com/node/214738