Sorry, Timmy
Timmy, I have a 12-year-old Springer that still wags her tail when she sees me and we take slow walks together. Cagney needs a special diet and medications to maintain her quality of life. She has two annual visits now to her veterinarian and these involve all kinds of expensive tests. Aging is an expensive process. Dying is very expensive. Any additional money I have is and will be put aside for her. She has been my best friend for a very long time and I want her by my side a longer time. Therefore, contributing to your hearing aid is not an option.
She was a Therapy Dog International (TDI) pet therapist for ten years but is now retired. We both miss therapy work with Connie Cuff and the Sunbury Susquehanna Trail Dog Training Club group–especially at HealthSouth on the Danville Geisinger campus.
Many older dogs lose their hearing. Many older dogs also cannot see as well as they used to–especially after dark– and they (like us) move a little slower. This is part of aging. No one likes it–neither people nor pets–but pets accept this without complaint as a natural process. We must respect this. We owe them that much.
May I suggest your owners teach you hand signals? My Springers all respond to hand signals and have done so since puppyhood. I am sure the nursing home residents would enjoy seeing you with this new skill and perhaps it will inspire many to learn to live with this challenge. Also, many older dogs in shelters not only have night lights but they are used to their caregivers using white hankies to get their attention. Old dogs can learn new tricks.
There are special toys for older pets–even a softer KONG for the senior canine! Some of these toys are scented. The AKC stuffed animals seems to be all-age play classics. (And as the holidays approach remember that “toys with noise” provoke and encourage prey responses and–IMPORTANTLY–toys are one of the leading causes for dog bites in dog-child play!)
IF PET FOOD WERE A FOOD. Did you know that pet food is not eligible under the food stamp program in Pennsylvania? The reason given is that “pet food is not considered a food”!! It might help if pet food were a food–not just to help pets that live in low-income families, but keeping pet food safe from contamination. However, since more and more pet owners are reaching into their own cupboards and refrigerators to add carrots, green beans, cherry tomatoes and hard boiled eggs to balance the over-processed dog rations this should not be as big a hurdle as it seems.
FROM KENNEL CLUB TO CAREER. Melody Fuller made the front page of the Press Enterprise recently with one of her champion Mastiffs. Melody started in Dobermans and was a charter member of the now defunct Bloomsburg Covered Bridge Kennel Club. Melody grooms, teaches obedience, and holds classes; she and husband Dave run a boutique that travels weekends on the show circuit. She is renowned for her dog treats–all homemade in her Berwick kitchen.
THERAPY DOGS ARE THE THEME FOR THE NATIONAL DOG SHOW PRESENTED BY PURINA!