Living With Senior Pets

Dementia In Dogs

charlene — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:30:20 +0000

People often ask me if dogs get senile like their human counterparts.In a word, yes! Pets are living longer, thanks to better nutrition and medical advances. I have had several dogs who have developed dementia,or CCD(canine cognitive disorder.) It resembles Alzheimer’s disease in humans. Jon Bowen, a veterinarian at the Royal Veterinary College in England answers an owners question : we have an 11year-old Labrador called Andy that has started to do some very odd things. He sits in a corner of the room and stares at the wall for long periods of time, wakes up in the night barking and howling, and recently has taken to urinating in the living room behind the sofa where he sleeps. Otherwise he seems healthy. What’s wrong with him and can we do anything about it? Dr. Jon Bowen explains the symptoms very well and offers some steps that owners can implement to help their old friends. He states: Dogs can suffer from a form of dementia that closely resembles Alzheimer’s disease in human beings. Common signs are confusion, loss of learned behaviors,such as housetraining, and an increased nervousness. Affected dogs may appear insecure, demanding or disobedient. Senility is probably the cause of a dogs uncharacteristic behavior but you also need to consider his general health. Common age-related illnesses such as arthritis and cardiovascular disease can exacerbate senility. The good news is that senile dementia is treatable in dogs. There are commonly available diets and food supplements that contain ingredients such as fish oil, alpha lipoic acid, vitamin E and l-canitine that have been proved to protect brain cells and reduce the signs of senility. Typically, improvements are seen within a month of starting treatment. For more severely affected dogs there are drugs that help improve cognitive function. Your vet will advise the best treatment.

I agree 100%. Dogs that used to be euthanized due to dementia are now given a chance to enjoy their senior years. If you have an older dog who is showing unusual behaviors, talk to your vet. Holistic vets are well versed in supplements to help your old friend. You can go to www.onlynaturalpets.com and find many good supplements to help your older dog. I use their Whole Food Antioxidant Blend as it contains alpha-lipoic acid as well as green tea extract and resveratrol which has been proven to help the cognitive abilities in people.

I always enjoy how owners are finding ways to help their pets. If you find that this supplement helps the quality of your older dog, please let me know!

Jack Stephens, DVM and The Story of How Pet Insurance Came To Be

charb1 — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:07:36 +0000

My Senior Pet Desmond

Last night I hosted a seminar with Dr. Jack Stephens, the founder of pet insurance in the United States and the President and CEO of Pets Best Insurance.

I’ve become increasingly concerned over the welfare of our pets knowing that many are going without care or are being surrendered to shelters because their owners cannot cope with the costs needed to heal or cure them.

Jack’s term for these sad cases is “Economic Euthanasia”, where a pet owner chooses to put their pet down because they can’t financially pay to save them. It was Jack’s own personal experience with a sick dog named Bucky and her little owner that made him vow to end economic euthanasia.

I contacted Jack and asked him to be my guest at our monthly webinar for Animal Connection members and my newsletter readers, so that we could all learn more about pet insurance and what it could mean to our pets’ healthy future.

Below are some articles from Pets Best website and that tell Jack’s own story well. It’s a fascinating story and will give you a better appreciation of pet insurance and what it took to bring it to us as well as some background on Jack.

At the end of this post is a link to my interview with Jack and a special discount link to the Pets Best website mentioned in the seminar.

Jack Stephens, Pets Best Insurance President

JACK STEPHENS, DVM, DOESN’T HAVE A LARGE VOICE.

But machismo isn’t always about volume. At 5-foot-7 he was a high school wrestler, runner, and football player. He worked from six to nine in the morning as a cook, went to school, then went back to work from three to nine every afternoon. He was on his own at 15, a father at 17. When he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1990, he was given six months to live–and he missed only two weeks of work.

“I’m a very disciplined person,” he says.

Still, Dr. Stephens has needed all the volume and strength he could muster to wrestle pet insurance into existence.

Pet insurance was, he thinks, an alien concept in 1982 when he first went to the mat with the idea. Today, an estimated 520,000 policies are spread unevenly among 11 U.S. companies. In his lifetime, he thinks the industry could reach $3 billion.

The largest insurer, by far, is Veterinary Pet Insurance, the company Dr. Stephens founded 25 years ago and fought to keep alive for more than two tumultuous decades. He left VPI in late 2004, and his departure was not without controversy. Rather than retire, Dr. Stephens started a new pet insurance company, Pets Best.

“Why not just go fishing?” we asked this 60-year-old agent of change.

“I guess I’m just uncomfortable when I’m not working,” he said.

Q When did you decide pet insurance was an idea that ought to happen?

A I was in practice, and I realized it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. Practice in the 1970s was too reliant on vaccines, and we weren’t getting paid for our knowledge. And I just hated putting pets to sleep. So I started looking for solutions that would let veterinarians practice medicine. I wasn’t a fan of pet insurance at the time, but as time went on I got more enamored. I found 900 veterinarians to trust me and invest, and off we went.

That was about 1980, right?

It’s been 25 years last month since VPI started selling policies.

What were people saying about pet insurance then?

It was a totally new concept for veterinarians. Although there had been a few attempts to launch the idea before that, it hadn’t gotten much exposure. I started talking it up–saying that it was the only viable way to help consumers afford our services. That made it the only way to stop economic euthanasia. I was just sick of economic euthanasia. And the bond wasn’t as strong then. People weren’t willing to spend as much on their pets as they are today.

Was there a lot more economic euthanasia then?

I did a survey in 1980 that showed that once the veterinary bill topped $275, most people would not pay for care. Today that number is well over $1,500. I think it’s still too low, but it has risen a great deal.

And you’d attribute that to improvement in the bond?

Yes. If it weren’t for improvement in the bond and pet owners’ willingness to spend more, there wouldn’t be a need to transfer risk, and pet insurance relies on that need. As consumers have come to spend more on their pets, they’ve had to look for other avenues of help because they simply can’t afford it.

In those days a $300 veterinary bill was a lot. Today, $3,000 is a lot.

There are people who love their pets but have to put food on the table–that’s not a choice most people have to make in human medicine.

Right.

I had my own defining moment. I’d moved to an affluent community so I could practice better medicine. But even in the second-most-affluent area in California, clients were sometimes too strapped for veterinary care.

A woman came in with her daughter, and their pet was very sick. They’d had the pet for years and the woman said, “Do whatever it takes; we don’t care. Bucky’s part of the family.” I said, “Great, you need to do this and this and this.” And she said, “Fine.”

But then she said, “Give us an estimate.” She stepped behind her daughter and started shaking her head no–her daughter couldn’t see it but I could. She kept asking, “Is there anything else?” And I’d say, “We could try this and not do the test, but that’s not best.” She kept shaking her head, and I finally said, “Well, the last alternative is to put her to sleep.” And she said, “Well, if you think that’s best, doctor.” I said, “No, I don’t think that’s best, but that’s an alternative.” To make a long story short, she put Bucky to sleep.

A couple of months later I was walking through the grocery store with my wife and we ran into the mother and daughter. The mother said, “Oh, hi, you remember Dr. Stephens, don’t you?” And the daughter said,

“Yes, he’s the man who killed my dog.”

That would cut to the core.

That was it. I said, “I’m not doing this anymore. I’m not putting pets to sleep. I’ve got to help the owners pay for it.” I went on a mission. I didn’t know what I was getting into, but that’s how I got started with insurance.

Did you know all the impediments you’d face?

Oh, Lord, no. I wouldn’t have done it. The regulations, the bureaucracy, the reserves, the money raising, the stress. But I had all my friends’ money in it and I couldn’t pay them back, so I couldn’t quit.

I wanted to quit many, many times.

It took me from 1982 to 1997 to hit $8 million in gross revenue. And in those 15 years I went down to the state department of insurance two or three times a year begging them to keep me open, problem after problem. In 1997 we did $8 million, and in 2003 we did over $100 million. It just took off. That’s a happy ending.

Yes, but that’s an awfully hard test.
The biggest problem was that you have to have enough premiums to be able to administer a plan, sell it, and operate it. You have to have about 75,000 policies to break even. And it’s a heavily regulated business. In the United Kingdom, pet insurance is monitored by the government but not regulated. The penetration is also much better. In the United Kingdom about 19 percent of pets are insured.

In Sweden it’s 60 percent.

How has that affected pet care in those countries?

More pets are getting care. That’s what happens when you have insurance.

So has the availability of insurance alleviated the problems you saw initially?

It has. It hasn’t impacted us as a profession as much as I wanted it to. But pet insurance has helped almost 2 million pets get better care and avoid being euthanized just because of cost. I’ve helped a lot of pets and there are a lot more to help. But I think the impact on the profession has primarily been psychological. If a person doesn’t have insurance and they can’t pay their bill, it puts a burden on the veterinarian to discount. Now that there’s insurance, it takes that guilt trip off the veterinarian.

What is the future of veterinary insurance?

It’s going to increase now, because we have more players in the market. That additional competition will start creating more awareness. I think it will really affect veterinary medicine once we hit 5 or 6 percent penetration.

What’s the critical mass at which veterinary insurance begins to be more common?

I think we’ve reached the tipping point. We have 11 pet insurers in the market who know what they’re doing. And there have been some critical changes in the industry. One, of course, is that the human-animal bond continues to improve, and that means pet insurance will become more viable. Also, technology has improved. For instance, we deliver policies and forms by e-mail so we don’t pay for postage. I talk to most of my competitors regularly, and in September I’m holding a summit of all the North American pet insurers so we can talk about what we can do to build the industry. Some of the newer companies are starting to see profits now, and that’s good for the industry.

It’s a long time to wait for profits, isn’t it?

Oh, my gosh, yes. It took almost 17 years for me the first time, but this time we’re on track to produce a profit in our third year. A small profit.

This has to be one of the most difficult industries to crack ever.

It is; that’s why we see so many companies come and go. A lot of the early companies paid out more in claims than they received in premiums, but we don’t see that anymore with the new companies. These new companies know how to underwrite and price.

Some people are saying that after years of not charging enough, veterinarians are now charging too much.

I hear that all the time and I’m in total disagreement. What I see is pets getting better care, better workups, and better treatment. I want more pets, not fewer, to get better care. That’s why I say we’ve reached a tipping point in pet insurance. People have to look somewhere for help, and pet insurance is simply exploding.

Have veterinarians warmed to the idea of pet insurance?

I think veterinarians are getting on board because it’s so difficult for pet owners to pay a $3,000 bill. They just can’t do it. Veterinarians have to get behind pet insurance, or we’ll end up with a black eye as a profession because clients can’t manage the costs. Human health insurance has gotten a black eye. For 25 years I’ve been preaching that we not go to managed care, and it looks like the AVMA and AAHA are going to get involved. One of my goals has been to make sure the veterinary profession is involved in shaping the direction of pet insurance.

Jack, you’ve been in this battle since 1980. That’s 27 years. Why not go fishing?

My job wasn’t done. I wasn’t happy leaving without helping pet insurance go in the right direction. And I love what I do. I love building businesses. I love building teams. I’m at work at seven in the morning, I leave at five or six at night, and I thoroughly enjoy it. As you probably know, I’m a proponent of the positive attributes of pets.

In 1990, I got throat cancer and was given six months to a year to live.

VPI at the time was practically bankrupt. I had to go through chemo and surgery and my wife wanted me to quit work, do my treatments, and travel and spend time with her. I thought about it for a week or two and I said, “I’m doing what I set out to do, which is to help pets get more treatment, and that’s what I’m going to keep doing.”

When I went through this cancer I was transformed significantly. I used to be a macho guy even though I was 5-foot-7. And I had big dogs. But my wife had a little miniature pinscher, Spanky, who taught me about the bond, something I had lost since I was a child. I got so caught up in my career I forgot how vital pets were.

How did Spanky teach you about the bond?

As soon as I had the cancer, Spanky changed. He started waiting in the window for me five minutes before I got home. During chemo he knew when to jump up in my lap and let me hold him. And when I was too sick to pet him, he’d just sit off to the side and watch me. He started bringing his leash to me and pushing me to go for walks, even though I didn’t feel like it.

He didn’t do it before and he didn’t do it after I went into remission.

What can we hope for in the future for pet insurance?

It’s going to become a multibilliondollar industry. We know that from looking at what’s happening in Europe. We’re on the same growth pattern as Europe and we have 10 times the market size. The bond is growing rapidly. Veterinary medicine is getting more sophisticated. So everything is driving toward a point where consumers have to have help. Because more pet owners will have help, a lot more pets will get care. And I see pet insurance making the veterinary profession much more robust. It’s going to drive more revenue into the veterinary profession, and that’s warranted.

Pets give us a lot of value, and pet owners will realize they have to protect that bond

Healing Hands - The lifesaving work of one amazing veterinarian - By Steve Dale

If you know Alice Villalobos, you likely have a story. And it might be a story of a life.

“She saved my cat’s life, but I’d trust her with my own,” says CAT FANCY editor Susan Logan of the veterinarian who specializes in oncology.

Logan isn’t kidding. Ask Jack Stephens, a veterinarian and pioneer of the pet insurance industry.

“I would be dead. Alice saved my life.”

In 1990, doctors told Stephens he might die from throat cancer. His only option was to try an operation to have his jawbone and tongue removed; he’d never speak or eat again — if he even lived through the painful ordeal. “This is what the top cancer doctors were telling me,” recalls Stephens, who today is the CEO of Pets Best Pet Insurance. “I only knew Alice casually, but she was so persistent, begging me not to do that surgery.”

He ultimately followed Villalobos’ suggested plan for a specific kind of radiation treatment, which was new at the time.

Today his speech is somewhat impaired; otherwise he’s recovered completely.

November 16, 2007 (Boise, ID) — When Jack Stephens, DVM, founder and president of Pets Best Insurance, was diagnosed with throat cancer, he received emotional support from his small dog, Spanky. Recognizing that cancer now claims the lives of one in every two dogs and cats who are 10 years or older, this cancer survivor set out to find a way to assist companion animals diagnosed with this disease.

Effective immediately, all pets diagnosed with cancer in the United States are eligible for a free cancer consultation from Oncura Partners, a national pet cancer specialty firm with the costs underwritten by Pets Best Insurance. Pet families are not required to have a policy with Pets Best Insurance, but their consultation request must come from their veterinarian.

Veterinarians are embracing this news, including Alice Villalobos, DVM, a pioneer in pet cancer medicine and author of Canine & Feline Geriatric Oncology: Honoring the Human-Animal Bond. “The bonds that clients have developed with their older pets are especially strong and drive the increasing demand for more proficient and highly compassionate medical treatment of companion animals diagnosed with cancer,” says Dr. Villalobos, who operates the Pawspice Care Clinic in Hermosa Beach, Calif. and the Animal Oncology Consultation Service in Woodland Hills, Calif. Dr. Villalobos continued, “we applaud this important effort by Pets Best and Oncura Partners. Making treatments for cancer more accessible will certainly save a great deal of grief for many pet families and extend the lives of many, many pets.”

Pets Best Insurance recognizes that the key to successful cancer treatment is an early diagnosis and effective treatment regime. Sadly, qualified cancer specialists are not always available locally. This may cause pet owners and their local veterinarians to not seek specialized treatment. Or, the costs may be high and the travel time for treatments may be prohibitive for some pet owners.

With this new initiative, local veterinarians are encouraged to visit the Pets Best web site and click on a special web site created by Pets Best, or go directly to www.petcancerfoundation.org to obtain the free initial consultation from a board-certified veterinary oncologist who will identify what treatments are the most effective for each specific cancer. Although the Pet Cancer Foundation web site is for pet owners, the consultation can only be provided to a licensed veterinarian. The web site, however, does provide information on cancer in pets for consumers.

“All too often, cancer treatments for pets do not happen because of the hassle of taking your pet elsewhere, sometimes requiring driving long distances for specialized treatments that may be needed weekly or even more often,” says Dr. Villalobos. “Or people have to hospitalize their pets far from home for weeks or months. Now with this process, many cancer treatments can be successfully implemented, monitored and adapted by a person’s own veterinarian with the benefit of a cancer specialist assisting in every step,” she adds.

In the broader perspective, this initiative was created to keep pets living longer, healthier lives and enable them to bring joy to their families. “And that is our mission at Pets Best,” stated Dr. Stephens. “We strive to provide the reimbursement for the best pet care possible.”

This effort by Dr. Jack Stephens and Pets Best Insurance is in addition to the pledge of $1 million to the Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) canine cancer cure campaign made in July of this year.

Dr. Jack Stephens and Pets Best Insurance have been honored and recognized by Morris Animal Foundation as a “Canine Cancer Campaign SuperHero’s,”

To listen to the interview I did with Jack, click HERE

To visit Pets Best Insurance using our special discount link, click HERE

Old Friends

charlene — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 16:49:33 +0000

I have a special place in my heart for older pets. They have a wisdom and grace to them that only comes from living with and loving their human counterparts for many years, growing and changing together. This poem speaks of the joys of a long term relationship between a man and his old friend.

Old Friends

Their youthful years have slipped away,

The old man and his dog.

They have a special bonding

That needs no dialogue.

The chase is just a memory,

But how they used to run

When hearts and legs were stronger

And games were such great fun.

Now the pace is slower

For the master and his mate,

If one lags too far behind

The other stops to wait.

Some things we cannot change

Like aging and the weather,

But true friends are quite content

Just growing old together.

C. David Hay

Old Dogs, New Thoughts

charlene — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 17:18:21 +0000

I was thrilled to see stump, the 10 year old Sussex Spaniel win Best In Show at the Westminster kennel Club Show Tues. night. Watching The Garden(it is held in Madison Square Garden, always brings a lump to my throat because Desi won the breed there for Bearded Collies 10 years ago. What I loved about the Spaniel winning was that in the dog world, any dog over the age of 7 years is considered a Veteran. Desmond was shown in the Veteran class for one year after he was 8 years old and did very well at that. I guess my point is that dogs are alot like people; the designation of veteran is meaningless for some. At 10 years of age, Desi was still very active. Anyone who has a Beardie, knows they age very slowly, which is a very good thing. We have to be careful about putting labels on dogs as well as people. Each one is different and still has many lessons and gifts to share with us. Personally I love older dogs! Such grace and wisdom and a willingness to share this with us. May we always take the few extra seconds or minutes that it takes toaccomodate our senior pets. After all, they have earned their place in the sun and in our hearts.

PS: Desi’s lump on his left side was a lipoma, or fatty tumor. I was pretty sure that is what it was, but I always want our vet to check it out to be sure. Why take a chance?

Just when you think all is well….

charlene — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 19:34:23 +0000

I have just been thoroughly enjoying Desi’s good health every day of late. However when I was petting him yesterday, my fingers felt a soft lump or swelling on his left side. I could feel my heart stop, then my fingers felt the lump again, it was no mistake. I tried to keep myself calm, but at his age, I know anything is possible.

I made an appt. with my vet for Tues. He will do an exam and probably a needle aspiration to look at the cells inside the lump. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it is a lipoma or fatty tumor, very common in older dogs and especially with Bearded Collies. I will post late Tues. on what I find out. Please send good thoughts and white light to my Desi. I would really appreciate it.

Another Year For Desi

charlene — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:57:18 +0000

Last year was an unusual year for all of us, but somehow I feel differently about the New Year. I have surmounted some health(foot) challenges, but I truly feel that I have rounded the corner. I feel that Desi is in a really good place right now, we treasure every day with him. The word that comes to mind to describe Desi is “joyful.” The other day I looked out in the yard and saw Brooks and Phillip running around the yard and so was Desi!!! He has not gone out and actually run for quite awhile, so it was a a real treat to see him out there. Sure, he was not as fast as his two sons, they are 4 and seven, but he was pretty much keeping up with them, most importantly, he WANTED to run and play. A year ago, it was not that way at all, so now that he is 14, happy, healthy that is enough for me. Upon reflecting on how I have maintained Desi differently from my other dogs when they became seniors, I think it boils down to a couple of things: I feed the best kibble I can buy which for my dogs is Wellness I also feed them Nature’s Variety raw diet. I started him on joint supplements when he turned 6 as a preventative, switching to Glyco-flex which I feel is a superior product. And we can’t forget his Anypril either. Expensive, but it has improved the quality of his life emmensely by keeping oriented to his environment, although he still paces more than normal. Tomorrow he goes for his once-a-month non-anesthesia dental, which has greatly improved the health of his mouth. Women talk about middle-age maintenance for themselves, but for me, it is senior maintenance for Desi!

Christmas Besssings for Desi

charlene — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:31:19 +0000

Here is Desi in his birthday hat! This is an important birthday for Desi and all of us!

My wonderful vet gives a free birthday bath to the pets he cares for which I appreciate more than you can ever know. Desi is too old to go to a groomer that would want him there around 8, keep him in a cage until he was ready for his bath, bathe him, dry him and then send him home. For an old guy, that is just too long a day! He is deaf, so it must be bewildering to him, to say the least.

He had a blood panel done for his birthday (probably not what he wanted!) and the results came back very good for which I was very grateful.

You can see Desi with his birthday hat on, and it was quite an ordeal to get this photo, trust me! My special blessings and happiness is when I see him still able to trot around the backyard, head held high, smelling the air and feeling happy, happy, happy! Yes, he might take a very long nap, but these are very good days for him and for me as well.

To me, that is the best Christmas gift of all; more time with Desmond.

We are old, dear friends together and no words need to be spoken. I treasure each day as a special gift to me and his family. His mere presence brings joy and comfort. It is the very best Christmas gift of all! With a little bit of work and planning, senior pets still have much to teach us and to share with us, as Desi can attest to.

Small Blessings

charlene — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:57:07 +0000

As I was working out the details of the new services I am offering, and I thought about the check-in service in particular, I realized that one of my own dogs was benefiting from this service right now, and I had not even realized it!

Boy, this was a real wake up call to pay attention to what is going on right under my nose with Desmond! I am very pleased with what I did not, on my own, noticed immediately.

As many of you know I am a former teacher, so it was fairly easy to apply the principles and methods of teaching to “big” people when I began my own classes for pet owners in Animal Communication. While I love teaching young children, teaching adults has been a pure joy! I have taught quite a few animal communication classes, some through teleseminars, others in face-to-face workshops. I have had the pleasure of meeting some amazing people in my classes and have helped some of my communication students practice with other animals to hone their communication skills. I’ve also asked some of my students to help with animals if I did not have the time to work with a case, getting them familiar with a variety of situations and owners.

Recently I asked a very gifted student to “check-in” with Desi to see how he was doing health-wise, with his medications and anything else that he might have his attention on.

It is usually much easier to work with some other animal other than your own. Another communicator can many times be more objective than you can be with your own animals. Desi felt very comfortable with my student and shared some of his fears and worries regarding aging and leaving me when that time comes.

Of course I watched him to see what results these quick sessions had on him - but since this was happening in the middle of my own surgery and recovery, I was not quite as alert as I usually would be (hence my opening comments in this blog posting).

What I did notice was a definite lightening of his demeanor and much more joy in his eyes. He began to run through the house and I would often mistake him for one of the other dogs!

Desi is feeling pretty happy these days, especially right after talking to my student who he has come to love and trust. But the biggest change is the marked reduction in his wetting incidents in the kitchen after he eats his dinner. I was not even aware of it until he did have a little accident recently and then I realized that this was the first one in quite awhile. I blush to admit that I had forgotten to give him his medicine for that particular problem for some time too which makes this even more remarkable.

Anyway, it is a most pleasant change for all.

I give most of the credit to my student for the “check-ins” with Desi. I really don’t know how long this change will last, but we are happy, but more importantly, Desi is filled with joy and has as my husband would say, ” has a waggy tail.”

I wanted to share this success with Desmond, due in part I feel to his “check-ins” by my very gifted communication student, and to offer this same service to you, particularly for those of you with senior pets or pets with chronic health issues. Check-ins are flexible, easy, and can bring a much greater sense of peace and comfort to all. If you’d like more information on what this service is, you can click here.

Speaking of blessings, may you and your family have a most blessed Thanksgiving!

Charlene

Making Choices

charlene — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:47:29 +0000

I really thought that when I retired from education, my days would be defined by leisurely lunches with my friends or with my husband, traveling and just being a lady of leisure. Boy, was I wrong! Because of Desi and his guidance, I was able to start a second career that allows me to make a difference in the lives of people and their pets. For me, it is the work of my heart and I thoroughly enjoy it.

Right now, I should be in Northern California for our breed club’s National Specialty. They are educational, fun and exhausting! If you have a purebred dog, you really don’t know your breed until you have attended a National Specialty. There are seminars, general meetings, every kind of event imaginable. It is a chance to renew old friendships and make new friends as well. Think of it as a big family reunion with over 200 dogs and their owners! Amusing when you watch a novice owner trying to show a rambunctious 6 mos. old puppy, or nostalgic as you watch the veterans being shown. To be a veteran, your dog needs to be at least 7 years old. Our breed holds together well; Desi won the veteran sweeps and his class at the national 2 years ago. Wonderful, wonderful memories! We also have a Rescue Parade where Beardies who have been rescued from shelters, irresponsible owners and deplorable situations parade around the ring, heads held high, happy to be given a second chance at a new life with loving owners. Those of you who read my monthly newsletter remember that the Beardie Casey was a rescue dog fromn a puppymill situation. You can’t help but shed a tear or two, definitely a Kleenex alert. There is always a standing ovation for these dogs and their owners. It is a testimony to what love and a new start can do for a needy dog.

As much as I would like to be there, I can’t in a clear conscience, leave Desi at this time in his life. I know there will be other National Specialties that I will attend, but this year my heart tells me that I need to be here with my boy. I want to be here to know that he receives his medication on time, eats all of his meals, goes outside to go to the bathroom and doesn’t walk into corners and not be able to figure out how to turn around. Yes, I wish I was at the Specialty, but the days, weeks and months with Desmond are winding down and I want to be able to squeeze every moment I can with him.

So we spend quiet time together; I watch him having “doggiemares”(where he twitches, growls and runs across fields in his sleep) bringing back memories of his younger days. I watch him rolling around on the rug and trotting in after doing his “business” in the yard, feeling pretty chipper. I know that the day will come where things will change dramatically calling for tough decisions, but it is not today! Today is a good day and there really isn’t any place I would rather be, so it really wasn’t a difficult decision to make. I smile, filled with love for my old, dear friend.

Top Ten Reasons To Adopt An Older Dog

charlene — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:57:04 +0000

On the nightly network news, I heard another sad story regarding pets left behind in our national foreclosure disaster. As you know, shelter are overflowing with unwanted pets and some hard decisions are being made regarding who stays and who will be “put to sleep.” Before you go to adopt a younger, more lively pet, please take minute and think about how an older pet would fit into your life. When I say “older,” i meazn any animal over the age of 7 years. At that point, they are considered senior, but believe me, most have alot of love and bounce still in them.

Here from the Senior Dogs Project are some of the reasons to consider an older pet. They are referring to older dogs, but older cats should also be considered. Remember that cats age even more gracefully than dogs.

1. They won’t chew inappropriate objects like a puppy will

2. They are housetrained!! Big plus right there for most people

3. Older pets can focus well(paying attention) because they’ve mellowed and can learn quickly

4. Older dogs hace learned what “no” means.

5. Older pets settle in more quickly. They have leasrned how to gt along in a household

6. Older pets are good at giving love. They are grateful for the second chance they have been given

7. What you see is what you get! That older pet has grown into what size and personality he will be. No surprises taking a small dog on and having it turn into a much bigger dog than you had expected.

8. Older dogs are instant companions, ready for a car ride, a walk or whatever you want to do

9.Older pets leave you to have time for yourself, unlike young animals who want every minute of your time.

10. In closing, they let you get a good night’s sleep because they are accustomed to human schedules and don ‘t generally need nite time feedings, comforting and potty breaks.

So maybe that dog in the shelter is a little gray in the muzzle, but inside that heart is a yearning for a second chance at a family. In exchange you will get loyalty, companionship and comfort in knowing that you made a difference in a dog’s life and also in your own.