Sis Loses Her First Love – Horses
We have spoken of pets for seniors before. Recently my sister and I both became the proud owners of two dogs. Maybe our stories will bring home how different the same event can affect two separate homes.
My sister is brave and has always been brave. She raised horses, broke them, rode them at break neck speed with no saddle or bridle, performed in rodeos and suffered a broken neck among other injuries for her love of horses.
Having reached her senior years, her beloved horses are a memory, the last sold a few years ago. She stopped riding them for their own good as well as hers. Injuries over the years made it difficult for her to get around as her back, hips and legs gave up their normal practices. After a lifetime of loving them, it took years before she pushed herself to give up the beauty of seeing them every day.
Sis Finds the Perfect Pet
Along with her equine love, she raised with utmost care a veritable Noah’s Ark of animals from miniature horses to cats, chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs and dogs. The ones that broke even with the horses were her dogs, especially a Boston terrier named Puppet. After a long life, the terrier passed away and into Sis’s life came Spot Licker, a wire haired Jack Russell, who met her end in the jaws of a big dog that was a stranger in the neighborhood.
It took a while for Sis to find the right pup. She tried a keyed up short-haired mixed breed, but she did not consider the work required to care for a puppy. She ended up giving it away. The next one she got was also a mix, but bigger and a light came on over Sis’s head that she really needed a pen, potty pads and other items to raise a housebound dog, that only went out for brief walks. Smart and hyperactive, still this animal suited the life it moved into where the first did not. Pudus rests quietly with Sis and her husband. However, when visitors arrive, she goes into overdrive welcoming them in and insisting they show her equal adoration. Yet Pudus realizes Sis cannot move around easily and helps by jumping into the bathtub for a bath, thus requiring no one to lift her.
Tucker Finds a Home
Around the same time, I also went to the Humane Shelter and found a gorgeous two-year old mix of Papillion /Sheltie. Both Pudus and our dog Tucker, are smart, learn fast and both believe themselves to be descendants of greyhounds. Actually, mine believes he is an African gazelle. When he goes out on the back porch to get to the yard, he leaps high in the air, arches about six feet out before falling to the ground and landing squarely on all fours, which are already in motion to race around the yard several times.
Gazelle Dog – Tucker
Both dogs are active. Both dogs are smart. And both dogs completely suit the households in which they live.
Buying Your Parents a Pet?
That brings us to a new pup for Mom and Pop. I think many of us, in our younger days, surprised our parents with pets. We either hope we could keep them, or that Mom or Pop would want the dog or cat to call their own. Prior to our senior years, just about any pet is trainable to become part of the family. That may not apply as we become frailer, less able to get out of the way of a speeding animal or less able to handle a huge dog jumping squarely into our laps. Taking a big dog for a walk easily becomes more of a challenge than a pleasure. Will the dog walk without pulling and tugging its owner to the point of exhaustion?
Know Your Dog
When I visit Sis, Pudus is all over me, insisting on full attention the whole time. I must admit the few times she settles, I tend to aggravate her back into action. She is not totally at fault. In fact, my actions may make her react to other visitors in a manner they dislike simply because I can be as big a pain as Pudus. (As of this writing, we are both trying to create less havoc in Sis’s house.)
If Your Dog Bites, You Are at Fault
On the other hand, my pup, Tucker, is leery of any person or animal he does not know. He greets them with a low growl. It is more out of fear than viciousness. Remember that a frightened dog can bite just as surely as a vicious one. Someone, in this case it is I, must be in control of the animal at all times. When I speak, Tucker moves away and comes to my side. I do not pet him because I do not want him to think growling at people in my home is a good thing. But I also do not scold him, because if the wrong person, say a burglar is in the house, I want him to know it is okay to growl. He is learning the good from the bad and is learning rapidly.
What to Do When the Pet is Wrong For the People?
Should you present your folks with a pet and that pet does not work out for them, anger is not the key. Return the pet and take your parents with you, if they truly want one. Let them pick one that is suitable for their mode of living.
You might love Rottweilers. Great for you, but will your mom or dad be able to control such a muscular dog? If a neighbor comes in, can they keep the dog from attacking in its effort to protect them? Can their incomes support a big dog’s appetite, bedding and other needs?
Love is a puppy is a great saying; however, the individual person must truly love the individual dog and know it will not only survive, but also thrive in its new home with its new owners. The best bet is to leave getting a pet to your parents. They know what they truly want and can handle or IF they want a pet.