Today’s blog is a mood booster!  Just look at this sweet little face and you can’t help but feel a sense of happiness wash over you!  Recently my brother-in-law’s family lost two cats in a very short time period( stay with me, I will get to the good part), leaving them with their adorable Clumber Spaniel, Charlie.  As much as they love their canine friend, their family are definitely cat lovers!  This past weekend Matt and Charlie went out for a walk and ended up at Pet Valu  and  began chatting with the young girl that worked there telling her they were hoping to adopt a new cat through a rescue organization.  Talk about kismet, she mentioned that an older gentleman had just come in asking if she had any suggestions of what he could do with a kitten he had found on his morning stroll,  that had been dumped off by the yacht club, where there were no houses.  He took the sweet little waif home, but his cat was not amused in any way, shape or form!  He had gone into the store to inquire  if the sales girl knew of where he could take the kitten.  She took his cell number and was going to call him with some contacts.  Matt  could barely contain himself and suggested he’d be interested in taking her.  My guess is Matt practically floated home as he was on cloud nine, he talked with his family  and they were all thrilled with the idea.  The girl at Pet Valu connected the two parties and the couple brought the kitty over for a meet and greet and it was love at first sight!  Little Sophie is very content and over-joyed with her new abode!  I love a happy ending!  Sigh…

Check your ego at the door lady!  When I walk in the house, it doesn’t matter if I have been gone for a half an hour or just stepped out to put the recycles on the curb, my boys make me feel like a rock star!  Lucas squeals and runs and gets me a toy, his tail wagging vigorously. Romeo waits for me by the door with his “what’s up beautiful?” stare.  It feels great and I feel invincible!  And then the boys bring me back to reality and remind me that although I am an awesome friend,  there are some things I don’t excel at!   I like to sing and I often like to dance,  not out in public, but in the living room or the kitchen, You know those people who stand in front of the judges on American Idol and belt out some horrid rendition of “I Will Always Love You” thinking they are the next Whitney Houston, but in reality, your ears are bleeding, that might be me.   I too, “thought I could dance,”  I am one of those people that used to watch dancers on the television and think “I can do that, I have groove!”  I will be boogieing around the living room, feeling like a fly girl and that moment occurs when man’s best friend, reminds me that I am more like a bull in a china shop and I need to check my ego at the door!  The other day I was dusting and singing my best rendition of “Hello” by Adele, and I was feeling it, I was getting goose bumps and thinking, “man, I am good!”  First, Romeo  gave me a look like I  had just sprayed water in his face, glared and left the room.  Meanwhile, Lucas, who had been snoozing on the couch,  raises an ear, then an eye, groans very loudly,  jumps off the couch and heads to the basement…  I was a bit offended by their reactions, as my Sheltie Piper used to howl when I would sing. It was very cool that she would join me as I enthusiastically belted out Christine Daae’s parts in Phantom of the Opera, it was like we were a doing a duet.   Apparently my boys have a better ear for musical talent.   I have come to realize I might be better at entrances than singing !   Oh well, guess it is time to face facts,  I am not going to be the next winner of the Voice any time soon, but I still have the love of my furry friends!

“Take a walk on the wildside…”   For some that might mean jumping out of a plane at 4000 feet in the air or swimming with sharks off the Carolina shores, but for me, it is walking with the dogs on a snowy morning in Waterloo.   For decades now Mothers have been waging a war against Drunk Driving and trying to educate people about the perils of driving while under the influence.  Today’s latest trend is warning drivers about texting while operating a motor vehicle.  Yesterday the boys and I were walking in a quiet subdivision that doesn’t have any through roads or sidewalks. I love walking in this area because of the mature trees and older style homes with yards.  It was kind of icy, so we were taking our time and heading back towards the park when a woman in a black SUV came racing around the corner, I looked up and realized that not only was she driving too fast, but she was also not looking at the road, she was staring at her phone perched on the steering wheel.  For a fleeting second my stomach lurched and I felt like Bambi in the headlights.  As I tugged at Lucas and Diesel to dash to the right to avoid getting hit, thankfully she looked up and jerked the car out of our path.  I was not in the wrong, I was walking facing traffic, but when the person driving is in not in their own lane, behind the wheel of a big assed gas eating machine, there isn’t much one can do.  Which brings me to this morning, we did a different route, as I had noticed the boys were wiping out on hidden patches of ice under the newly fallen snow, so I figured it was safer to stick to the sidewalk.  As we headed down Davenport, a busier commuting route in my area, I realized I should have probably not ventured that direction to get home.  More than once I have been walking this street and have seen someone take the corner too fast on a day which is slick and take out a boulevard tree, which might I add, there is an entire stretch where there are no longer any trees as they have all been taken out by drivers!  One rainy afternoon, I watched a car leave the road and take out a stretch of fence that backs along the houses there, if I had been any earlier walking that section it would not have been a good day.  So as I continued on the stretch of treeless boulevard this morning, I could hear Lou Reed in my head singing “Jackie is just speeding away, thought she was James Dean for a day, then I guess she had to crash, Valium would have helped that bash, she said, hey babe, take a walk on the wild side.”  As well,  I said a prayer or two hoping that this mornings drivers were on the ball and their cell phones were safely stowed in a pocket or a purse.  Who wants to meet their end in such a senseless, avoidable way…people, please put your cell phones away when you are driving and for god sakes, slow down when the weather dictates, you are not the only person trying to get somewhere at that moment in time!

Choices, choices, choices… I think we take for granted the daily gift we experience as people!   I often comment about how we humans make all the choices for our pets.  It really is something to ponder!   We choose for them that they will live with us. However, they may not be feeling the love, but if we are enamored by them, the next thing they know, they are moving in. Our furry friend might have been envisioning a life out in the country on a big piece of property to roam, but instead ends up in a small condo on a busy corner in downtown Waterloo.   When we get up each day we choose what we will eat and when we want to eat it, but not our pets.  We decide whether they are going to get the KD of  pet foods or the Caviar variety.   That big old bed with the cozy blankets you sleep in may look incredibly inviting, but instead, a crate might be where they end up slumbering their nights.  They might have been envisioning a life of three walks a day in a lovely wooded area, but instead they get to the dog park once a week to run around with a bunch of other goofy mutts, which after a week of solitude is very stressful. Perhaps our feline friend was imaging a existence where it was just you and them, but you felt that he needed friends and decided to bring another cat and some crazy drooling dog to take up residence in your home.  You might be a workaholic and like someone to come home to at the end of a ten hour day, but your furry companion was not envisioning a life of staring out the window waiting for you to come back, watching the neighbours dog, getting out for daily walks and playing with the kids in the front yard.  And speaking of kids, you wanted to have two little gremlins to make your life harried, but it wasn’t their choice to have to deal with being pounded on and having their tail pulled, while you expect them to endure the discomfort and not to react.  Our day to day choices, massively  impact daily on their health,!  We may choose to smoke indoors, but our four legged friend perched at the end of the couch wasn’t hoping to die of Cancer from inhaling your carcinogens .  Having the ability to make decisions about who we spend our time with and how we spend our time, these are some of the freedom of having choices,  that we experience .   We humans tend to under value  that luxury.  So the next time you are in the treat aisle at the pet food store and you are looking at the Temptations verses the dehydrated all natural white fish bites, think about the impact of that choice.  When you are thinking you’d like a companion, really focus on the amount time and the motivation for including them in your life.  Are you grieving the loss of another four legged friend, did your coworker  just get a really cute kitty and you’d like something to dress up in costumes too, are you looking for something to snuggle after a long day of work because you hate to sleep alone?  Really think about what you have to offer to another living being. Whether your choice to bring home a darling little Siberian Husky pup to your 6th floor apartment in downtown Toronto is the best choice for both parties?  Choices, we really under estimate the power we have in the day to day life of the creatures we interact with.

Some days I feel like I age in dog years.  According to Google, for the first two years, a dog year is equal to 10.5 human years.   After that, each dog year equals 4 human years. This calculation is based on studies that indicate our canine friends, except maybe larger breeds, develop more quickly in their first two years of life.  If I have said it once, I will say it again, my personality is more dog like than human, and some days I feel like I am aging that way too.  Lucas, is around ten or eleven years old, which makes him about 53 give or take.  I am not fifty yet, according to the calendar years, but today I feel much older than my pooch, technically I would be around 204 if I were a dog.   I won’t say I feel that decrepit, but 96 feels about right.  I look at Lucas and admire what  great shape he is in!  He is spry when we are out on our walks, it’s hard to keep up to him most days.  He jumps up on the couch without any trouble, and talk about flexible, he can sleep with his feet touching his nose and pop up for his morning pee break with no trouble whatsoever.  Today I am finding it challenging standing up and would like swap bodies with Lucas.  Remember that Disney movie “The Shaggy D.A.” with Dean Jones, I am dating myself!  I would like to trade places with my dog today.  I could lay on the couch and snooze whilst he does the laundry, cleans the bathrooms, does the vacuuming and takes my noon dog walk.  Ah if only…

A couple years back when I lived in Thunder Bay,  I worked a polling station at a retirement home and was absolutely impressed when one of the residents came down the hall with her walker, her cat perched on the seat part, accompanying her to vote.   For most individuals, when they move into a retirement home or senior care facility, they are forced to give away their pets.  In my humble opinion, this is just plain short sighted. Housing for the elderly,  should allow for their residents, to keep their pets so they can transition from the massive responsibilities of home ownership and down size to a place that is more manageable.  I know I would not want to move into a senior home if it meant giving up my pet. Too often on rescue sites you see a lovely cat or dog, looking for a home as their elderly caregiver had to change their living situation.  If that were me, it would break my heart and push me one foot closer to the grave.  Physical limitations may dictate that I should move, but my love for my companion would keep me firmly planted where we could stay together.  There are so many health benefits to a senior having contact with a pet!  Often the elderly feel isolated and are not as mobile. As most people can relate, as adult children, we have busy lives and are not as able to get over to see our parents every day, sometimes managing a call is a major accomplishment!  For a senior, having a pet, whether it be a bird or fish, basically another living being to interact with, can make a huge difference and decrease the feeling of loneliness.  There was a woman who used to live a few blocks from me, she had this giant Golden Retriever Hudson, a beautiful-natured dog.  Twice a day, every day, I would see her out walking him, she was stooped over with arthritis, but she never missed their walk.   One particularly icy morning I remember thinking I should see if she needed help getting him out, but before I could get to her, there she was, out in the park with her ice pics on and taking a leisurely stroll.  Walking Hud kept her active!  The health benefits to getting out and moving her body with her physical ailment was the best thing she could do for herself and having that dog gave her the motivation to do so. I know that one reading this might be thinking about the concept that she could have fallen, I know I did, but she was never alone, a neighbour always seemed to be out walking with her.  Not only was she getting exercise,  but so were the other ladies on her cul-de-sac.  Shortly after her spouse passed away, I was saddened to hear that she was moving.  Her daughter lived a couple hours away and the family decided they wanted  Mom closer.  A few months later she came back to visit the neigbourhood, she was telling me about her new place in a retirement building,  but said Hudson could not go with her, so he moved in with her daughter.  She said she got to see him now and then. I was struck with how hard that would have been to lose one’s life partner and then one’s pet.   It made me very sad to think that the two were separated and no longer living together, as she really  loved that dog.  Yes, she still got to see him, that was a bonus,  but that day to day interaction she shared with him helped boost her spirit and gave her something to focus her energies on.   Having an animal is a great deal of work and can be daunting for the most agile of individuals, but with support, the health benefits for a senior far outweigh the aspects which can be a challenge.  I am hoping our world will evolve in such a way that as we age, we will respect the bond between animals and their people and how that relationship can positively influence well being.

Pets and kids.  I remember when I was five we moved to a new city, I had left my best friend Tracey behind, the two of us were inseparable, leaving her behind was very hard on me as I was a little different than most kids, I was extremely hyper active.  When we got to our new home I felt lost and very alone, the new kids I encountered at school didn’t get me at all, my kindergarten teacher wanted me to go on Ritalin and I felt very sad.   I remember what got my through the rough patches, was my friendship with our dog  Sargie.  I would dress him up in my old dresses and put him in my doll buggy and push him around the yard, and god bless that dog, he tolerated me.  Having a pet has so many health benefits for children.  Beyond the concept of helping kids to become more responsible, studies show that having an animal in a young person’s life can extend to their mental, cognitive, emotional and physical well-being.

I can remember I had a friend whose parents didn’t like her to come over to my house because we had a dog, as her parents believed that animals were dirty and would make you ill.  What is interesting,  studies have shown that the more contact children have with dogs and cats during their first year of life, the less likely they were to have respiratory illness or ear infections, or to require antibiotics.  I feel sad for a child that has never known the love of animal, having a pet gives children a source of comfort and helps them develop empathy.  I have a niece who is autistic, she has trouble interacting with people and finds it overwhelming in social settings, but watch her with her dog and it is a beautiful thing.  When she and her dog wander around the house together, their interactions are often trans-formative for her.  It has been found that some children with cognitive disabilities are  better able to interact with pets, which in turn helps them interact with people.  In several studies, simply the presence of a dog during occupational therapy resulted in greater use of language and social interaction. It has also been shown that having dogs in an educational setting reduces stress while promoting concentration, attention and motivation.  Children with different health issues, such as epilepsy, prophylaxis allergies,  sleep apnea , autism, blindness and the list goes on, receive huge benefits from the care of their service animal.

I am going to be honest, I have had allergies all my life and my parents were told I needed to get rid of my rabbit and that we shouldn’t have dog either.  I can tell you, that I would rather endure of life time of itchy skin than be pet-less.  The benefits I received from having our dogs as I grew up, far out weighed any of the small issues I might have had.  Having a dog helped ground me, provided me with a friend when I had a hard time socially and gave me a friend to talk to and share the hard times with.   The love of Sargie and Noel helped me thrive and be happy,  pets and children in my view are a very good thing,

Would it surprise you to know that pets can improve your health? I thought I would spend the next couple blogs talking about the advantage to sharing your home with creatures other than human beings!  There are so many health benefits from having a pet.  For example, researchers found that when inactive dog owners were encouraged to walk for their dog’s health, they were more likely to do so.  Similarly, pet owners are more likely to quit smoking when they are told that that their second hand smoke is hurting their pets.  Having an animal friend to love can help prevent us from getting sick and even better, to recover faster when we are ill!  Studies have shown that animal companions that are used by healers to augment traditional medicinal therapies have been shown to lower pain levels and increase healing time.   There have been numerous studies that have shown that patients that are undergoing cancer treatment who have interactions with animals report improved health, decreased depression, and improved social and psychological well-being, even when experiencing physical and functional problems.

I have found that when I am struggling with a health issue, that there is no greater support and mood booster, than  interacting with my boys or my clients.  I was reading about a study that showed that pet ownership is linked to lower incidence of heart disease, however, researchers were not certain why this was the case.   Other research has shown that having an animal companion can moderate the imbalance caused by diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol.  It is not surprising to me,  that pet owners who have coronary artery disease show a greater one-year survival rate over non-owners, regardless of their heart attack’s severity.  I am no scientist, but I would say the answer is rather blatant.  Love, having an animal to care for and be loved by,  in simple terms allows a person to experience boundless amounts of joy. Experiencing  joy impacts on on a person’s over all health.   My pets make me smile, laugh, and lift my spirits every day.  How can one focus on dis-ease, when they have a pet companion to remind them how wonderful life is and the amazing gifts we are blessed with each and every day.    When I was out walking this morning with my boy friends, I was humming away, enjoying the blue skies and the sight of the moon making a day time appearance, as well as a pair of ducks swimming in the pond.  Currently, the world seems like a scary place, with bombings of airports and acts of terrorism reported constantly in the news.   It is hard to not feel mired in negativity and allow depression to take root, and yet, when I am out walking with the dogs, all that melts away!    When I am out breathing in the fresh air, it helps me to see all that is good and worth celebrating.  When I am sitting on the couch in the evening watching the news with my  big old boy snoring on one side or me and my cat purring on the other, I able to let go of the angst caused by world events and take a deep breath.  It is not surprising to me in any way, shape or form, that having a pet can improve ones overall sense of well-being and remind one to embrace life.  The love of a pet is simple, and uncomplicated and transformative!

Are you a hoarder?  I was talking to a friend today who wanted to adopt a cat, as theirs had recently passed away.  She found one that she really liked on a cat rescue site and applied, only to be turned down as the foster family had decided to keep the cat, along with the four others they already had and several dogs.  I think we are all guilty of thinking that our four legged friends that we live with, could not possibly be loved by any other person as well as they are loved by you.  I know I am guilty of that!   I have learned over all these years of having pets though, that animals are extremely resilient and adaptable.    I knew a woman some years back that had eight cats and two dogs, all living in a very small bungalow together, she was blinded by her love for the creatures she rescued and could not see that she was placing her pets under a great deal of stress.  Shortly after she adopted the last two kittens, three of her cats came down with ailments (Cancers and a heart ailment) and died within months of each other.    I will say she is an animal lover, but being an animal lover you have to recognize that you can not rescue every single dog or cat that comes into your care, that you have to trust that there are other like minded people,  who can do an equally good job of providing a magnificent life for that creature.  I myself was faced with a hard decision a few years back, we realized that our one rescue cat was very sick and that the second cat we had adopted, as we thought he would appreciate a friend, was causing him stress and in fact, her presence was causing him more harm than good.  As hard as it was, we realized that Savannah was going to have to go, thankfully my oldest was moving out and was able to provide her with a good home. Every time I see a lovely cat that needs a home and  I want to save it, I remind myself, that I am doing that every day, that I chose Romeo and he has special needs and that is who my commitment is to at the present! When he passes on and I am in no rush, I will go out there and find another four legged friend that I can shower with affection.  In the meanwhile, those cats or dogs or whatever it is, that I see in a Pet store or on a rescue site that need a new home, I can help them in other ways, by donating food or money for their care, I can share their info with others on social media, spreading the word to help that cat find a new forever home, I can still be an advocate and assist them on the path to finding someone to love them.  One has to be mindful with pets, that we make all the choices for them, who they live with, where they live, what they eat and because we make those decisions we also have to recognize that all animals are unique and have differing needs for their ultimate health and stability. One can have the best of intentions when they provide a home for five cats and three dogs, but one has to do some soul searching when you want to save an animal.  One has to think about that animals needs and realize there are others out there that could love it and care for it equally as well or better!  Cats are  independent creatures, with a very territorial nature, it’s extremely stressful when you put a feline in a home where there are a bunch of other cats and dogs.   I am not saying that each household should have one pet, period.   What I am saying is, make sure you are not a hoarder of cuddly, furry creatures that you feel can benefit only from your love.  True love, is selfless!   One has to realize their are limits and examine their intentions behind keeping a pet.  If an animal is faced with euthanasia or homelessness you are providing  it with a new lease on life. Foster it, care for it, but have the good sense to love it enough to let it go.  Love the animals you have made a commitment to by providing them with  a space that is not over crowded and stressful and allow that animal that you  saved from a bad situation, the chance to blossom with another family.  As I have suggested before, once they are adopted to a new home,  do check ins to make sure everything is okay and let the new family know you are always there if things don’t work out.  Hoarding isn’t loving, it is Ego.  It is thinking that your love is the only love, that only you are capable of embracing that animals quirks and providing the care they need, you aren’t!  You aren’t that unique, there are animal lovers everywhere and if you really want to be an animal lover, don’t overestimate your super power!

“I can’t stand the rain”, I think that would be Lucas’ theme song.   I don’t mind the rain at all, with the rain comes Spring flowers and lush greenery.  Unfortunately, my pooch does not concur, I woke up last night to hear him pacing up and down the hall.  It seemed quiet for awhile, and then I found my boy in the bathtub, teeth chattering so loud I was afraid he was going to break a tooth.  It was too late for the Thunder shirt, he was in full on panic mode.  Nothing I can do to help when he gets to that stage , he  just has to  ride out the storm.  When I woke up in the morning, he was back in our bedroom, curled up on his bed, sound asleep and snoring.  He’d sorted it out thankfully and was getting some much needed rest.  It’s hard to watch him when he is so scared and doesn’t understand that all the commotion outside won’t last forever.  This morning I was feeling bad that instead of staying up with him until things improved, I went back to bed.  I felt remorse for not being a better friend, all week he has been with my daughter keeping her company when she has been down in the dumps and what do I do?  I leave him in the tub, teeth banging together because I needed sleep.  I did give him a pet and kiss before I shuffled off to bed, but now that doesn’t seem like a big enough gesture for the boy who has so much love to give.  He hasn’t held a grudge, his tail was wagging this morning for me when I we went out for our walk, but today I am thinking of ways to show him how much I love him…perhaps I shall say it with a piece of cheese for a mid day snack?  I need to bring out the big guns,  Tuna, nothing says I love you more, than that fishy water with fragments of meat, drizzled over his dinner.  It is a start at the very least, as well as lot’s of hugs and kisses, which is an even louder gesture.   It  is  very important to ensure that friendship is a two way street and that my boy knows he is appreciated and that I am sorry I left him in his hour of need!