Prized Pets Animal Companionship Gives Elderly Citizens Medical And Emotional Benefits

A year ago, several months after her husband died and one day after an attempted home burglary, Marge Robb called the Orlando Humane Society. A lifelong dog lover, she was looking for both companionship and protection. She found both in a golden retriever-chow mix whose coloring reminded her of the saltwater taffy she loved as a child.

“I was in a deep state of mourning. I cried a lot,” recalled Robb, 75, of Orlando. “Taffy sensed that, and she would go through crazy antics to make me laugh. Then I’d hug her, and we’d go for a walk.

“I haven’t cried since, except for the anniversary of his death. She has made a wonderful companion.”

The benefits of pet companionship for senior citizens have been well-documented. Studies have shown that elderly pet owners have lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels and fewer medical visits than their contemporaries who live without pets.

The benefits aren’t just medical.

“Many seniors live alone, and having a pet gives them the responsibility of taking care of somebody beside themselves. They’re not sitting around feeling sorry for themselves,” said Mary Beth Lake, animal care supervisor for the Seminole County (Fla.) Animal Shelter.

But not everyone is as fortunate as Robb, who lives in her own home with a fenced-in yard. Many seniors live in apartments or condominiums that have strict rules about pets, or their fixed income doesn’t leave them with enough money for the food or veterinary bills - and in some cases the $40 to $50 adoption fees.

Rescue groups, humane societies and animal shelters do what they can. They encourage elderly people to take home an older animal, which usually means a mild-mannered cat or small dog at least 2 years old.

“We try to steer them to a surrendered animal rather than to a stray - those we know something about,” Lake said.

Melody Foster of Sanford, Fla., spends much of her time finding suitable small dogs for elderly people.

“Small dogs can live into their midteens. An 84-year-old woman isn’t going to live 15 years. I would try to match a middle-aged dog with someone like that, who wants a pet that will sit quietly in her lap and go out for an afternoon walk,” said Foster, who for the past 20 years has been doing pet rescue work.

The question of lifespan, both the owner’s and the pet’s, can be a double-edged sword. Get a young animal and your chances increase that someone else will wind up taking care of it. Get an older animal and chances increase you’ll have to spend time and money dealing with veterinary problems, as well as having to suffer the grief of losing a friend.

“We tell older people - if they are concerned about what would happen to their pet if they should die - that they need to make provisions in their will to take care of the animal,” said Barbara Wetzler, executive director, of the Humane Society of Orlando/SPCA of Central Florida.

“We encourage them to find a family member or friend who will take over,” Wetzler said. “If they are financially able, they can leave some money to help the person take care of the animal.”

But there can be problems with pet ownership too, even for lifelong animal lovers.

Walt and Juanita Tedder lost their beloved schnauzer, Spud, earlier this year. The retirees, both in their 70s, have owned and loved dogs all their lives. But they have decided not to get another one.

“Our son would have to take care of it if we couldn’t, and that’s a responsibility we wouldn’t want to put on somebody else,” said Juanita Tedder, who worked as an insurance company secretary for 37 years.

Her husband of 53 years agreed. Remembering Spud, whose photographed and painted image hangs in several rooms of their south Orlando home, the retired firefighter said that “nobody could have taken care of him the way we did. He was king.”

When their king had to be put to sleep after a long, painful battle with cancer, the Tedders decided they were at an age and stage of their lives when a pet was no longer right for them.

“I’ve lost so many dogs over the years,” said Juanita Tedder. “I don’t want to go through that again.”

They credit Spud with getting them into the habit of daily walks, which they have continued. “Only now we walk farther and faster,” the couple joked. “Spud had to stop and smell everything.”