seniors aging gracefully

Some say, it’s raining cats and dogs, which makes sense these days. But I am not here to talk about dogs and cats coming down from the sky. I want to write about my observations of these amazing animals.

It is said that dogs are man’s best friend and anyone who has owned a dog knows that this is true. They are your buddy, always by your side ready to shower you with licks. I love all of them, big or small, white or black. When I grew up I cared for our family pet, Penny. I had to leave her with my parents and my mom proceeded to baby her, making her bacon for breakfast and burying her at a pet cemetery when she passed.

In my 20s when I was financially secure and bought my first home, I rescued a sheep dog mix, Freddie. She was a sweet loyal friend and would run along side of me when I went biking. Freddie lived to a ripe old age and when she clearly showed signs of dementia, I knew it was time to let go. When she was about 8 years of age, she became very sick, she stopped eating. I brought her to the vet and was told that her liver was beyond repair and that we needed to talk about how to make her final days most comfortable. I came home and cried, then I realized I was not ready to say goodbye to her, she was too young. So I researched how to detox the liver. I would make herbal teas known to detox a liver and did other things like getting out in the sum as much as possible. After a few days she turned the corner and she lived many more years.

Soon after I adopted Freddie, a dog appeared at my home, she was clearly very sick. Eventually my boy friend and I brought her to the animal hospital. Soon I was told that she had a broken back and while they would be able to surgically treat her, it would be quite expensive. Michael and I thought about it and he offered to pay for the surgery if I would adopt her, at the time he had 7 cats. Weeks later we brought her home, I can remember that day clearly, she came out to the lobby looking all around, eager to meet her new family. Lucy was a black lab mix and eventually she and Freddie became buds. It quickly became clear that she had been abused, she was terrified to even go on walks. My 2 dogs had very different personalities; Freddie was laid back while Lucy had a strong need to wander the neighborhood, I guess she had a hunting instinct. Lucy also was a great watchdog,

In my 60s I decided to adopt a cat, Arlo. He is a handsome, tuxedo boy with a very loving nature. The longer we are together, the more I understand him. He needs his alone time and he needs to hunt, he loves chasing mice and eating lizards. He seems far more emotionally aware, especially attuned to my moods. He has a amazing sense of smell and hearing. He is a scaredy cat, he hides when other come to visit. But sometimes he allows others to pet him. Recently he had to have 7 teeth extracted, which was painful for both of us. Being with Arlo over the years has given me an appreciation of cats. They are often misunderstood and even hated by some folks. I don’t know why for sure but maybe because they don’t really need humans, they are independent.

Cats and dogs are quite different but both of these pets bring endless joy to our lives.

I want to add something about animal abuse. It seems to be occurring all too often these days. There are stories on the news about dogs being abuse, neglected. And then there are the hoarders that take far too many pets in their home and the outcome is often bad – these pets are found starving with a range of physical issues. And the others, they are just evil people who take out their rage on an innocent animal. Fortunately they often face legal consequences and the animals…well they seem to get over it and with the help of great vets that work at the local humane society, get their physical injuries treated.

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