What Pets Can Do: Health and Healing

Our dog had to be put to sleep end of Feb. this year. She was 12 and we adopted her from a pet rescue when she was a pup. Since she has gone there is a void in our lives but now with ageing and illnesses cannot adopt another. We promised ourselves when we adopted her that should she become very ill or injured that we would not keep her alive for our sakes, and in the end the Vet basically said today is the day.... she brought more joy into our lives than we imagined but I must be honest and say that over the years, because we treated her as 'family' she did get/need a lot of attention being a larger dog, and spouse not well but still braved our freezing winters to take her for a walk, poop scoop etc. and when we totalled up vet bills, good quality food, grooming etc., it was a lot of money.... so impossible for some people especially ill, on fixed income, or older to actually own a dog so it is so nice of pet owners to bring their dogs etc. to visiti, or into long term care homes, etc., so that they can be petted, hugged and loved ... thanks to the owners of pets who do this ... makes a huge difference to their day/s and the dogs love it too.🐕

I'm sorry for the loss of your pet. It's so hard losing one. I know for both my husband and I losing them is the worst. It sounds like though you gave yours a good life and a loving home.

..thank you - yes we console ourselves that she was well looked after,we just didnt realize age 12 is considered life expectancy for larger dog , 80 lbs, and with both myself and husband not well, no grandchildren, she did 'provide' some type of therapy and I imagine folk in long term care homes etc. who are not allowed a dog , or in hospital setting etc. ... really get a lift when someone brings in a service dog. our first and only dog..waited til one of us retired so be home with her ... we thought we knew what it was like when other dog owners we know lost theirs, but had no idea how painfully sad it would be...and cannot have another.. may yours live a long time in good health 🐕

thank you. im vert sorry i do understand though. until last year we had a newfoundland who was slightly over 100 pounds. she was 10 and we had her since she was eight weeks old. she was a really good dog but as we got to older she was harder for us to handle. when my husband would walk her outside she was so strong she would pull on the leash real hard and he would end upon the ground. we loved her so much but thought it was in her best interest to go to someone who could take care of her better than we could she went with a woman who had two other older dogs similiar in size. we have three small dogs now. i mean the smallest is 3.5 pounds. my husband and i have multiple health problems. the dogs bring us joy. they are young but sometimes i think they may outlive us.

I just thought I would try to join in. I’m 66 and my husband is 70. We have always had dogs and cats but in 45 years of marriage I’ve also managed horses, goats, rabbits, fish, birds, Guinea pigs, chickens, ducks and geese. Oh my !! My children though would say a turning point was when dad bought me a Maltese. She was the first dog allowed to stay inside. They didn’t think dad would allow it. And she was the joy of my life and everyone loved her. She not only slept with me but we took her on 11,000 miles of camping across the USA and back across Canada. She was never far from me. I now have the same man I begged to have an inside dog bringing all our dogs in. Now I have two Maltese mixes that sleep with me and one hairless cat. They are all my best friends. I am always at home with them and they are a constant comedy group. We also have two outside dogs and a handful of outside cats. I don’t think I would want to keep going if I didn’t have any pets. I hope I can share again but I don’t type well so it’s slow. Any questions? I will try to answer.

I thought I would try a bedtime story. On one night about 12 years ago. But not a dark and stormy night, my husband was gone overnight. This was unusual in itself. I was up watching TV. I need you to know here I had bottle fed maybe 30 kittens over the years. I kept hearing a cat. Sounded a little like crying. I went outside and a small but very pregnant gold cat was saying help. She was on the mat at my front door ready to have her babies. I was terrified. I had never delivered babies Unless a chicken counts lol. But she was having trouble. I was afraid I would hurt her but by midnight she had 4 wiggly brats. She let me help but was not real tame and never let me pet her but she stayed and raised her babies here. We had the most beautiful group of gold cats. Two of the babies are still here. They have been showing their age but still like to hunt. Buffy and Muffy are their names.

I love and have raised lots of kittys and pups, but cats are just close to my heart. My oldest now, Boots, is 15 and has been diagnosed with kidney disease. I am watching him fail and at this late stage of my life is just so hard. Boots is my best buddy. He is the only friend I had through the pandemic especially, and I just am heartbroken at knowing he doesn’t have much time. We are never more than a few feet apart. He adopted me about 14 years ago when I lived in the country. Instantly claimed me and the property! Saw him chase a dog out of the yard - what a boy. How tender they keep our hearts!

“@baa, your dear Boots is a lucky cat to have chosen you! It appears that a good human is good for the health pet, too! (paraphrase the title of this discussion)
During Covid our adult son was house bound by Covid and recovery from critical injury. His cat was, and still Is a great companion. The cat needed food and son was dependent on a wheelchair. He is not in a wheelchair now, but the cat had learned that whenever he heard the refrigerator door open, it meant food. He blocked the wheels until he got a treat 🙀.

I often hear folks say how smart dogs are, and I surely agree. But felines are so intelligent - they just are so independent they wonder why (I’m sure) humans expect them to ‘come’ when commanded! Going through their minds: “dude! Are you serious???” Haha

My little dog Willow demands her two walks a day. Because of Arizona heat, I do the first one at sunrise and the second one at sunset. I have been walking around 3 miles a day since the beginning of the year. Willow helps me achieve my daily walking goal.