Max the shi-tzu and his human came into the shelter on Monday. The dog was prancing by the man’s side excited to be out for an adventure, the older gentleman who was his owner looked sad and ill.
With tears in his eyes he said he had to give Max up — the man was ill and had to go into the hospital for an extended period of time and had no way to care for Max. He said he had put this off as long as he could; he had asked everyone he knew to take Max and, though all agreed he was a well-behaved little guy, no one wanted him.
Max sensed his owner’s agitation as he told us about what a great dog he is. Max is 10 years old and a “good, good boy.”
He handed Damon the leash, but Max looked at his person whimpering and jumped in his lap. This just about undid the man as well as those of us watching. I asked him if there was anything we could do to help him keep Max — he said he was having a hard time caring for him and once he went in the hospital he had no way of knowing when he would get out or what condition he would be in if and when that happened. He just wanted Max to have a home with someone who could care for him and love him.
Max is in our office; we knew he wouldn’t do well on the kennel floor. After his owner left, he kept running to the window then to the door. It may take Max awhile to get over this. People who are forced to get rid of their animals happens on a daily basis, particularly to members of our society who are older, going into a nursing home or ill. Often times these animals are the only family they have left.
It seems as we age, loss plays a bigger roll in our lives. We lose loved ones to illness and age, lose health and the ability to live alone and care for ourselves, outlive our friends and are forced to give up our pets because we need help caring for them or where we are forced to live will not allow them. Animals can help us heal and in some cases give us a reason to live.
As a community we need to come up with a solution for people losing their pets due to illness and aging. Perhaps we can set up a foster network for people who need help caring for their animals while they are ill, in the hospital or recovering. People in this group would foster the animal until it can go back to the owner. If it turns out that the animal cannot go back to the owner the animal would then be put up for adoption.
Aging and illness takes so much from us. Does it have to take our pets as well at a time when we might need them the most?
If you’d like to help, contact maleahstringer@aol.com or 278-9435.
-------
Thanks to everyone who donated a washer and dryer to Animal Care and Control. It seems that we won’t have to scrub laundry down by the river after all!
Maleah Stringer, program director of Anderson Animal Care and Control, is also president of the Animal Protection League. She can be reached at maleahstringer@aol.com.
Columns
Related Photos
-
John P. Cleary
Discussion
Maleah Stringer: Help needed for ill pet owners
- Columns
-
-
Emmett Dulaney: When Twitter backfires
Twitter, that innocuous social media tool that lets users send out 140 character snippets to their followers, is being used more and more as a marketing tool.
-
John Williams: Valentine tip from Social Security
Valentine’s Day is a popular time of year for proclamations of love. Such displays of affection can be as simple and sweet as a heart with a “be mine” message, or as life altering as a vow before the altar.
-
Scott Underwood: TV section alterations on the way
Two Sundays ago, The Herald Bulletin introduced a new product called Click, replacing the TV Week section. Like TV Week, Click includes TV listings grids, sports listings and Sudoku and crossword puzzles.
-
'Big Joe' Clark: The $100 million IRA - and how to get one
Is it possible to save $100 million? No, but it is possible to invest and end up with that sum of money. Mitt Romney is not alone; there are others with mega IRAs.
-
Analysis: Exceptional voice seemed lost in Houston's excessive fame
Whitney Houston’s numerous comeback attempts never gelled into anything the public cared about.
-
Brian Howey: Automotive factor explains why Obama opens Indiana office
On Thursday, the Obama for America campaign opened up an office in Indiana, a state with a century-old love affair with the internal combustion engine.
-
Maleah Stringer: Be truthful when filling out an application to adopt a pet
Animal shelters, humane societies and animal rescue groups across the country use adoption applications to screen applicants.
-
Jim Bailey: Plenty of sports celebrities have spoken in Anderson
Those who like to hear about their favorite sports from the horse’s mouth have had plenty of opportunities over the years in Anderson.
-
Howard Hewitt: Ivo Nardi of Italy leading organic push
Much of Europe is way ahead of the United States when it comes to the demand and supply of organic products.
-
Don McAllister: Dovetailing on a great column with a word on encouragement
Every day starts a new story, and this one tips its hat to a great column that recently appeared in The Herald Bulletin by Jesse Wilkerson where he emphasized the value of choosing one’s words.
- More Columns Headlines
-
Raw Video: Kim Jong Il Statue Unveiled
Trial Opens for Ala. Man in Bride's Diving Death
Baltimore's 'Crime Stopper' Is a Basketball Star
Raw Video: Hearse Arrives at N.J. Funeral Home
Authorities: Houston Found Underwater in Tub
Arm Wrestler Not Guilty Plea in Wife's Death
Raw Video: Houston Body Flown From L.A. to N.J.
First Person: Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show
Obama's New Budget: The Winners and Losers
Gregoire: Marriage Equality Is Right for Wash.
Bacteria Keep Swimmers Off Some Fla. Beaches
Police: Houston Found Under Water, Unconscious
Sandusky Can See Grandkids, Have Local Jury
Obama Unveils $3.8 Trillion Budget
Raw Video: Israeli Embassy Car Attacked
Coroner: Don't Know Houston's Cause of Death Yet
Valentine Greetings Sent Worldwide From Loveland
Greek Austerity Measures Spark Riots
Raw Video: Obama Budget Goes to Capitol Hill
Arab League Wants U.N. Help in Syria
