Thursday, April 7, 2011

Retirement Home for Cats & Dogs




Recently my family moved to Washington state and we are staying with my parents on acres of gorgeous plants and towering Evergreen trees. It's enough to make any writer smile.

A lot has changed in the seven years since I last lived in WA, but something particularly noticeable to me is the three older animals now residing on my parents property. When I left they were full of energy, sprinting past trees and digging up bones. Now they walk a little slower and their muzzles are sprinkled with gray and white.

I've lovingly named the property the Retirement Home for Cats and Dogs. Of course we still have a few young animals to liven the place up, but it's the older, more mature pets that make me want to sit on the porch and enjoy the warming sunbeams with them. Gone are the issues of chewing and potty training; now we deal with blindness, hard of hearing, hip problems, and sadly even an inoperable tumor.

Regardless of health problems though, there's just something special about older pets. Maybe it's that spark of life in their eyes despite the cataracts, or how they insist on doing what they enjoy (sniffing around the property) even though they have a bad hip. They live life differently; they appreciate the loving affection of their owner in a deeper way and realize that pouncing on visitors isn't always necessary.

There's a lot to be said for "retirement age" pets, and a lot that they can teach us if we're willing to slow down, lend them a lap, and rub their ears while we listen.

Here's The Question:
Tell me about your older pet. What's his/her name? How old is she/he? And tell me something unique about him/her.

1 comment:

  1. Hello! My name is Ana White. I have a silver tabby named Hermeece, who was 13 yrs old this last september. He's the nicest kitty, just a real lovebug. He loves to bonk his head on your head, like a high five. He likes to play with Kittens still. He loves fuzzy warm blankets he can snuggle up in. He's like outside and inside. He likes to chase feathers on string. He is great with others,so as long as he's not being harmed. He likes to chase bugs like moths.
    I've been taking carer of hermeece since I was 10 yrs old and I'm 23 now. I saved him from abandonment. I bottle-fed him from the age of 2weeks old. But I just can't take care of him anymore because of my financial situation. I don't want him to die because I can't make enough money to keep him. Please Help. I need to find him a home asap. The people who are taking care of him won't take care of him any longer for me. But no shelter will take him without killing him and no rescue will take him either. But I can't afford to pay thousands of dollars for a retirement home for him. I look forward to hearing from you!!! Thank you for your time!
    Sincerely,
    Ana White
    My number is (360)383-6319
    My email is 'tone_deaf_007@hotmail.com'

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